


Tough As A Diamond

by Redheadclover



Category: DC Cinematic Universe, Suicide Squad - Fandom
Genre: Chato Santana - Freeform, El Diablo, F/M, Suicide Squad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 45,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8244073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redheadclover/pseuds/Redheadclover
Summary: She was dumped at the prison for being a metahuman, harnessing the ability to have diamond skin and bones. After feeling neglected by her past and her family, Amanda Waller hires her to work for her and with Task Force X. Although she's not villian, she's feeling out of place, even with a certain ex-gang member turning his eyes to her. ((Diablo X OC))





	1. Chapter 1

Belle Reve Penitentiary  
Louisiana 

"Chow time, inmate. Come grab it."

I looked up from the corner of my cell and over to the cell door that was blocking me from my freedom. It was another day at the prison, another day for me to grab food and just go about my merry way. I have forgotten how long I was there for, and if I was getting older since the days would go on forever. But this was my home, whether I liked it or not.

What a great home I guess.

I got up from the ground I was sitting at, walking over with my bare feet on the floor and reached for the plate of uneatable food that they were giving us. I looked through the window and I saw the guard that was giving me the food: Griggs.

"Because of your good behavior for the past week or so, they're letting you have outside privileges hear the east yard," He explained to me as I took the tray in both of my hands and I didn't say a single word about. He didn't sound at all pleased about the fact that I was given some kind of freedom, "It's not my fist choice, Shifty. But let's be honest, you're the nice one I guess."

"Thanks?" I asked, seeing him roll his eyes.

"Shut up," He replied, closing the small opening on me and having me stand there with my tray in silence. This was normal: eating food, going to the bathroom and then sleeping. I've been doing this for quite some time and I didn't know why I deserved to be here. Wait, I did know why,

Because I'm a Metahuman.

I was dumped here by my family because they didn't know what else to do with me. I'm sure they had good intentions of keeping me there in one piece and keeping me away from the rest of the word, but it sure didn't feel that way from my standpoint. It felt worse, like a betrayal or a stab in the heart. I've always wondered since they dumped me here if that were ever to sleep at night with the thought I was gone and out of their hair. Were they able to sleep? Who knew, I didn't, but I haven't spoken to them since and I doubt I ever will.

Good for them.

Luckily for me, I was on good terms with the prison here. There are others here who aren't so lucky, the villains really. They were sent here because they are pure evil, according to the guards and other metahuman prisoners here. They're the ones who we should be afraid of, causing trouble in the world and in cities. Of course, we have people like Batman or the Flash to take care of them, they were the good guys.

But what about the rest of us? The ones in the middle.

I never did anything bad, not really. I was accused of plenty of things because of my ability and what I could do, but I knew I wasn't bad or a villain. It was just up to society and what they thought of me. Some of us were seen as Gods, take Superman for instance, but others were seen like monsters.

I didn't know where I was fitting in with those categories just yet. 

Here I was in my later 20's, locked away in a prison that wanted us away from the world, and I only thought this was how my life was going to go from now on and nothing else was going to change. All I had left from my previous life, was the fact that I two distinct scars on my face.

Representing the past that I never wanted to open again. 

I blinked a few times when I went outside in the REC yard, hearing a few birds here and there that were flying by overhead and I looked behind me to see them close the gates behind me and I could feel the heat of the thick Louisiana sun and air soak under my skin. I breathed it in, the musk of the bayou nearby and the clouds overhead overcame though the smell of the stench of other prisoners, amongst other things. I had one hour out here by myself to just breathe in and out, to feel the sun on my skin 

It was nice, at least for a small while. 

I closed my eyes, feeling the sense of my powers coming over me one again like it was a blanket shielding me from the world. I could feel my skin crystallizing a bit now from what I was about to do with my own hands and some of my face. When I had time, my powers would take over and show more of a side for me than ever before.

In short: I would turn into a diamond.

Since I was little my own hand would resemble a diamond, from the tips of my fingers down to my elbow and even close to my shoulders. There was no real explanation to this and as to why this happened to me, but I always found it fascinating when I was younger. I was finally able to look beautiful since my own self-esteem was a bit shot with my curvy body, freckles skin, and wide green eyes. 

But this made me look so different, and whenever it would be in effect, my eyes would be the first to change. They went from the green that I had to a crystal white almost blue look, intensifying and my skin would change, along with everything else within my body. I was a walking and talking diamond, which turned plenty of heads once or twice before I knew I had to conceal it.

It was both a blessing and a curse.

I held out my hand to the sun, seeing my hand crystalize there and the sun beaming through the edges and the cut of my hand there, almost showing the whole area a brand new light and bring a sense of brightness within my own time there. I saw how clear my hand looked, a tint of blue along with the light of rainbows that were shown across my face from the diamond hand there in the reflection of the sun. I would look at it for hours, thinking of how beautiful it looked and yet how cursed it was as well. I could feel some of my own face turning as well, the hardness of the surface along my neck and ascending to my cheeks and face too as I just breathed, trying to one again think of nothing but the positives that were there in my life in that prison. I was alive, I was away from my family.

I was just in another version of hell. 

I looked over to one of the hallways that had wide open windows to look into, having me see that they were escorting someone over to his cell. I knew that he was going over to the section where they were keeping the highly dangerous metahumans and villains, where we would rarely go ourselves. That was not a place to be, they weren't treated as well as the rest of us really and they were looked at lower than scum. I knew all about that, I really did know about that, but the person that they were escorting. 

His hands were handcuffed in front of him, almost in a fashion that there was a chest piece and his hands were placed there in cuffs as if they were a added need of protection. Otherwise, he was wearing his orange jumpsuit with the sleeves rolled up a bit, but that was not the one thing that I saw and made me with him on intrigue. 

His tattoos. All over his body.

They were interesting tattoos, all on his face and along his arms, almost having him look like some kind of canvas really that someone could interpret for themselves. I instantly thought that he was a gang member for how they looked on him, with his muscular arms and there was no hair on his head that had tattoos of a skeleton. For some reason, I couldn't look away from him and in how he was walking, almost in a shallow way of stepping like he was not hard at all. Sure he looked hard from the inside out in how he was stone-faced and looking dead on, but in how he was walking seemed more innocent and uncertain. 

He looked out of place. 

But he looked over in my direction, seeing through the window over at me while I was standing there in the REC squared off area and standing alone with one hand in the air and the other at my side. Did he see my crystalized hand and face? How could he not, since I was pretty much twinkling in the sunlight that was beaming down at me. I must have looked lost since he looked more intrigued with me than anything as he walked by. I finally saw something that seemed soft about him as he walked with the two guard behind him: HIs eyes. They were so bright and clear compared to his face tattoos, a bright brown that would remind me of the bark of trees or even chocolate.

They were beautiful eyes.

"Come on, Inmate. REC time's over."

 

Three knocks were on the door were heard as I opened one eye from sitting there on the cot and having some more alone tie with just my thoughts in my head. These knocks on the door sounded a bit more urgent than anything, having me wonder if I did something wrong, yet again it's been running trident that I would be blamed for something in my life because of my ability. 

I heard the small door opening abruptly, having me peer out with my eyes and stay away a bit now in case it was some kind of trick or I was about to be tazed. It wouldn't be the first time, and I felt like it was going to happen again. But instead of seeing a regular guard, I saw someone else whom I never saw before. It was a young man, almost my age with a thinning face that had some damage to it from any kind of past and some facial hair. He was wearing some kind of army uniform, that much I could see, and a regular hat with e American Flag on the top.

"You Inmate Talbert?" He asked me in an almost thick accent from somewhere in the south, in which I slowly nodded my head and he eyed me up and down. 

"My boss would like to have a word with you."

 

I was sitting in an interrogation room there, both of my hands were handcuffed to the table in front of me as I was sitting in a metal chair, wondering what was going on and who was wanting to talk to me. It felt a bit cold there in that solid room with the single light above me and the big mirror on my left. 

Finally, the door opened, having me look over to see the young man from earlier and another woman come into the room before the door was closed behind it. The woman was older than me, a bit short too. She was a black woman with short hair and was wearing business type of attire including a skirt and heels, in her hand was my file. I knew it was my file, it was pulled up plenty of times in the past when they were watching me. I wondered what she wanted with it. 

She sat down across from me, the young man behind her with a gun on his hip and was watching my every move as the woman placed my file there in front of me softly, having me only hear my breathing in the room and her shuffling the papers a bit so that she could see. I was watching her face, seeing that she was a bit cold and almost all about business and work ethic. it was a bit frightening.

"Your name is Rose Talbert, 29 years old, Born and raised in New Orleans in an upper-class white family and was dropped off here by said family 5 years ago, is that correct?" she was reading it like she was reading off the laundry list and it looked like it was nothing. I slowly nodded my head, seeing her watch me and fold her hands there on top of my file.

"I'm Amanda Walker, the man behind me is named Rick Flagg," She introduced the both of them, having me look from her to the young man briefly before she went on, "I came here to have a talk with you and your ability."

"What about it?" I asked her curiously since that was something I didn't think she would be talking about.

"I've seen my fair share of metahumans in my line of work, but none of them are quite as unique and rare as you," She said, looking down at my file there for a brief second, "It says here that ‘subject's body changes into the form of a diamond'. I'm assuming that it is true for the in that case, or I must have been seeing things when I was observing you out on the yard earlier today," It made me panic a bit that she saw me out there with my abilities, so I knew then I couldn't lie to her at all about it. So I just sat there, seeing my file once again on the table and seeing her lean over a bit towards me as if she was intrigued with me.

"I have a proposition for you, Rose Talbert."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What do I get out of all of this?" I asked her calmly now, seeing him slowly smile at me with a small smile of satisfaction like she already won this talk with me and I agreed to be working for her. She grabbed a single piece of paper there on the top of my file, pushing it over to where I was able to read it and I looked down at the paper that was typed out. Ir head through it, seeing line by line and then my eyes were getting bigger and bigger now from what it was telling me. It had to be some kind of joke, it really had to be now.
> 
> "You work for me, and I grant you your freedom from the prison."

**New Orleans, Louisana**   
**Algiers District**   
**Age 5**

"She's not like the other kids, Mary! She's a freak!" I was sitting there in my bedroom, holding my plush toy close to my chest and hearing the loud yelling from the other side of the door in the hallway. I knew they were talking about me, and why they were was the mystery. I just got back from school and they found another note in my backpack from the teacher about me showing my crystalized hand there to some of the kids during recess.

Needless to say, it was not taken lightly in my house.

"She's a child, Jackson! Our child, how dare you for calling her something like that!" My mother was trying to convince my own father that I was fine, that what I had inside of me was some kind of gift. But for an adult to try and comprehend that their child is different from others, it would be hard for them. It was hard for both of my parents, but my mother knew that it was a gift. My father, on the other hand, he wasn't swayed so lightly.

"Come on, Mary. You and I both know that she can't be around kids doing something like that! People will talk, people to ask questions about her and how she's so different and not normal at all. They will come to us and look at us differently! What will the neighbors say?" My father asked with venom in his voice.

"Who cares what they say about her?!" My mother was yelling at this point now, and I could feel another wave of sadness coming over me and making em feel and that I was making them yell. it was I that did this, that made them hate each other, and almost hate me in return.

My hand that was clutching the plush toy was crystallizing again, the diamond look of my hand there was against my plush toy and I looked down, now no longer seeing it as something that is beautiful and unique to see, but something ugly and hateful. This was making people not be happy, so why should I look at it anymore? I looked away from it, closing my eyes and wishing that it would all go away and not come back.

I hated myself.

 

* * *

 

**Belle Reve Petitionary**   
**Lousiana**   
**Present Day**

"You want me to what?" I asked her, hoping that she would repeat so I knew that my hearing was good and right, not making a mistake.

"I want you to join our team," She explained calmly there, sitting and waiting for some kind of answer from me as I looked from her to Rick Flagg now, seeing him watch me too and show no real inserts in the whole conversation. She must have been crazy, almost off of her rocker since she was asking me to join some kind of secret top mission team that she was cooking up. But the thing about it that threw me off, was that fact that the people she was hiring for the group were all villains.

Supervillains to be fair.

"I'm not a villain," I said in a statement to her.

"I know you're not, you have one of the cleanest records here in the facility, which is why I was more intrigued in picking you and joining our team," She explained, in which I shifted in my chair and eyed him suspiciously.

"But it still doesn't make sense for me to join you guys. All I want to do is live in here in peace," I explained to her, seeing her almost look at me in a scoff fashion.

"In peace? Here, of all places?" She asked me almost sarcastically, in which I glared at her.

"Look, I didn't ask to be placed here. I was thrown in here without any real kind of job now was it?" I asked her in almost a challenge, a bit of venom in my voice since it felt like she was not understanding what was going on in my own life. Flag took a step forward, his hand on the pistol on his hip and I saw him giving me a signal with his own stance eyes.

Calm down or I'll shoot you.

"Miss Talbert, I know your whole background, better than most of the guards here to be clear. I know where you're coming from and how life's not being the kindest to you, and believe me, I know a bit how that feels," She explained as I eyed her and flexed my fingers there against the table where I was still shackled to, "However, I know you can still do some good with this ability you have. The group I'm getting together are villains, yes, but they are working for less on their life sentences in exchange for working for me."

"What do I get out of all of this?" I asked her calmly now, seeing him slowly smile at me with a small smile of satisfaction like she already won this talk with me and I agreed to be working for her. She grabbed a single piece of paper there on the top of my file, pushing it over to where I was able to read it and I looked down at the paper that was typed out. Ir head through it, seeing line by line and then my eyes were getting bigger and bigger now from what it was telling me. It had to be some kind of joke, it really had to be now.

"You work for me, and I grant you your freedom from the prison."

* * *

 

**3 Hours Later**

"Come with me," Rick Flag explained to me now as we were talking out in the main yard that was outside the prison, military personnel was left and right and they were running around at a frantic pace. Already, when I said yes, Amanda told me that they were already getting ready for ambitions that just erupted in the MidWay City, so I was already thrown into the whole situation without a second thought to it. Flagg had to go over to some of the doctors that were waiting for me with some kind of injection in my neck, which hurt like hell when I did it. I asked him what it was for, but he said that he was going to explain that later with the whole group.

Great.

I wore my orange prison uniform with the top button undone sine it was far too hot, showing a bit of my tattoo that I had there on the collarbone that was a beautiful diamond. I walked behind him like an obedient puppy as we were back outside in the whole yard, some of the group that I was going to work with were already standing there waiting for Rick to hear him what they were going to do. But I looked over his shoulder to see who would be there, a pit was already being made in my stomach there seeing them all.

The Villains.

They were clad in their orange uniforms, like me. Some of them I remember seeing on TV every once in awhile when I was in the jail, walking by them with a guard behind me and seeing them on the TV monitors for the other guards to see. But now they were talking to each other and not liking being out here and not knowing what was going on. I was kind of in the same boat as them, but I still felt very out place there and not knowing what to expect from them. Amanda wanted me to work with them? With villains? Was she out of her mind?

I was about to find out.

They all saw me behind Flag, I could see all of their eyes and how they were watching me like I was some kind of fresh meat to their party of villains. I knew some of them: Captain Boomerang when he would rob jewelry stores and banks, and Harley Quinn who was linked to the Joker and was just as crazy as him. But then another one was one that I didn't know, taller and more gruff in his stance as he was watching me more with intrigue than with a threatening look. Another being looked more like a walking talking crocodile with scales and reptiles eyes and teeth that were sinister and glistening in the light there from the sun. I didn't know how to feel. But then the last one that I saw almost made me loose breath.

And the other was the tattooed inmate. Him?

He looked out of sorts too, like he would coil up in a ball if he could as he watched me with almost wide eyes like he was shocked that I was there with the rest of the lot. I watched him too, not understand why he was there with the villains. Was he a villain too? I had to remember that he was since I saw him walking down that way back to the prison, but still, it felt off to see him there and I didn't even know him.

"Slipknot," I heard Flag say out loud as another black car pulled up from the side, having me look over too and see the car come to a stop, someone being pulled out by two marshalls and the man then punching the female. I gasped, now officially seeing that this was a very bad idea now as he was brought over to be with the rest of the villains in front of Flagg and I saw him finally speak up to the rest of the group there.

"The explosive you got: it's a nanite explosive. It's the size of a rice grain but it's as powerful as a hand grenade. You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You irritate me or vex me…and guess what? You die," he explained to them shortly now as then Harley Quinn rose her hand from where she was sitting with some of the soldiers around her.

"I'm knowing to be quite vexing, I'm just forewarning you…"

"Lady, shut up!" He yelled at her, seeing her pout and lower her hand now with a glare at him and he then looked at the group of them, "This is the deal. You're going somewhere very bad do something that will get you killed. But until that happens, You're my problem," I could hear it in how he was saying it to them, he had some kind of hate radiating off of him and he was shoving it back at them in full force. I wondered if that was the best idea to do that in front of a bunch of supervillains.

"So was that kind of a pep talk?" the tall gruffed man asked, rubbing his ear and sounding sarcastic.

"Yeah, that was a pep talk." Flag replied shortly, "Grab what you need for the flight. We're wheel's up in ten."

"You might wanna work on your team motivation thing. You ever heard of Phil Jackson?" The man asked again now.

"Yeah."

"He's like the gold standard, ‘kay? Triangle bitch. Study." The man replied, making a triangle with his hand as Flag looking at him up and down and moved away from him. Within a second he then pointed to me as I was still standing back a bit with the other military men, pointing behind at me now.

"This is InmateTalbert, a metahuman inmate here. She is working with us on this mission, and you do anything to her, I will kill you with a second Goddamn thought. She has a contract your boss, and she will not be harmed on this mission by either our enemy or you, understand?" The group looked at me now with curious eyes, some of them were giving me curious looks and others were finding it amusing I was feeling the same way too since I felt so out of place there as Captain Boomerang spoke up.

"What can you do, Luv?" He asked me with some cockiness there in her tone and was wiggling his eyebrows at me with his grin, "You're far too innocent to be here with us roughies."

"You're not going to vex her either," Flag wanted, Boomerang eyed him then with a glare on his face as the taller guff man spoke up.

"No offense man, but if she's going to help us out here and she's not a villain, we would really like to know what she can do so we don't have to babysit her." I knew that someone here at the group would be pissed that I was here, and I felt like they were going to have to babysit me or what have you. he was right in that end: they wanted to see what I could do and If I was supposed to be here.

Flag looked over at me, having me watch him and silently ask if I should show time what I could do. He nodded his head, having me breathe out slowly and feel my crystalizing mode come over me, slowly and surely like spiders crawling on my skin. It was staring at my chest, near my heart which is where it would start and then slowly morph out and all over my skin, taking over me within a few seconds. Their eyes on me the whole time were slow lying getting bigger in shock and intrigue now as I was half human - half diamond now. Some of it was on my face and my eyes were already in the crystal blue, some of my arms were covered along my shoulders and near my collarbone.

"Her diamond form makes her indestructible, so shooting her won't kill her if you're thinking you can get away with it," Flag explained as I was showing some of my own powers there for all of them to witness and to digest, "She can carry more weight than a good amount of you, and she knows how to defend herself. So like I said, you mess with her, or she dies, I will kill each of you." They were no longer intrigued with me but had some sense of intimidation and almost me being at their level now. I was no longer just a regular person that could be a hazard for them: I was almost one of them.

"Pretty fancy stuff there," Harley Quinn said to me in her cheery tone, eyeing me up and down with her wide smile and intriguing eyes.

"Get your gear. Talbert, you're with me. I have stuff for you to wear," Flag explained to me as the other broke off to find their belongings in big tubs around the place. I followed Flagg, some of my diamond form going back to normal now as I walked and looked over my shoulder to see the tattooed inmate watch me carefully as he was standing so still there, not moving as the others were getting ready. I looked back for a quick second, once again locking eyes with him before I looked ahead once more and walking away. Thinking again of his tattoos, how beautiful they are.

Beautiful and Damaging.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You like diamonds I take it?" He asked seeing them there and I nodded one again.
> 
> "I learned to embrace what I have, show it off without been seen," I explained, watching him study me and almost accept it, but was still a bit moved from how I said it. I did learn, later on in life, that what I had was not going to go away anytime soon, so better embrace it in any way that I could rather than pushing it away and calling it quits and hating it.

**8 Years Ago**

"You sure you want this, youngin'?" I was sitting in the tattoo parlor chair late one night and I was watching the artist there, needle in hand and it was already buzzing, ready for use. It was one in the morning, I had a few beers in me but I wasn't close to being drunk, I could hear the mass music off in the distance and some of the people walking to and fro on the street. I had a few friends in there in the parlor, watching me do this recent dare that they threw on me and thought I wouldn't do go through with it. But I knew I had them good when I agreed without a blink or an eye.

I felt as thought I needed to do something that was a good change for me in what was going on in my life, a new fixation that wasn't going to treat me lower than dirt. This was what I needed, something to both feel the pain that I was still alive and to show that this was not going to hurt me.

"Do it,"

"Let me see that shit," I moved the collar out of the way, showing the diamond tattoo on the back of my neck and the neat handwriting that read Stay Gold. I thought it looked perfect, beyond perfect and one of my friends named Stacy giggled in delight.

"That looks legit, Rose! You have bigger balls than my boyfriend!" She said in a snort as her boyfriend, Travis slapped her along her ass.

"Hey!" He retorted.

"It's true, babe. You can't do something like that!" She replied, pointing to my new tattoo as we walked down the street in the nightlife of New Orleans. I smiled, breathing in the sweat of the streets and the alcohol that was still in the air and the music flooding the night from the plenty of nightclubs and bars.

"What made you do a diamond?" He asked, having me pause a bit to look over at him. I told none of them of what I could do since I was strong enough in my own ability to be able to not have it be thrown out into the blue. I could control it, bring it out when I wanted or disappear when I wanted. It was a matter of thought control and breathing, along with keeping myself calm and collected. But for them to know that part of me, that wasn't supposed to be in the cards. I was too nervous to do something like that, let alone thinking that I would be taken away for some reason. With the news blaring about metahumans and their dangers to society, that would not be a pleasant conversation starter.

"I just like diamonds."

 

* * *

 

**2 Hours Later**

"How long were you out for?" My dad asked me, looking over at me now as we were standing there in the hallway after he saw me being dropped off by Stacey and I walked over to go into the house. Apparently, he waited up for me and wanted to meet me at the door in his pajamas, and I knew I was going to have some kind of fight coming since his breath was drenched in alcohol, far worse than usual. Recently he's been trying to find a way to fight with me, either it's been layoffs at his jobs, or jut his own marriage with my mom failing day by day. My mom, God rest her soul, was still wanting to fix it and keep me close enough within reach to protect me from him.

But sometimes I was on my own.

"For a few hours, dad," I reassured him, seeing the anger there in his eyes now as he was watching me and the blurriness there on his face. He hated me, I knew that he hated me for being a metahuman and for being different, I was not the daughter that he wanted nor was I ever going to be. I was going to get the blunt of his beatings and hate with his eyes and words. I learned to roll with him, not to fight back since it was better for me to be older and run as fast as I could. I was still willing to stay for my mother's sake, but that was it.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" He growled, his slurred voice was still low on the bass and was venomous now.

"I'm not, dad," I reassured him now, leveling my own voice and seeing the boiling of his age about to come over him within seconds, his hand raised and he punched me hard into the wall. I was used to his beatings, I knew they were coming sometimes.

But this time, I didn't see the beer bottle in his hand when he punched me.

 

* * *

 

 **Present Day**  
The clothes that they gave me were more military than anything else, compared to the rest of Suicide Squad. I had a pair of military pants, boots, a black underarm shirt that was short sleeved and a military vest over my shirt and fingerless gloves that fit me perfectly. I felt like I was more of a soldier now, which bothered me since it didn't feel right in my opinion. But this was far better than me wearing my prison clothes that I was used for the past 5 years. before I placed the fingerless gloves on my left hand, I looked down at my palm, seeing the diamond that I tattooed there on the skin and I felt as though I was conflicted, walking a very thin line with what I was about to do: Aid villains.

 

"That a tattoo?"

It was a thick accent, but it was warm at the same time, I froze there hearing it behind me as I looked over to see who it was that spoke up. It was the tattooed inmate, peering at my diamond in the palm of my hand. He looked interested in it, like one artist looking at the work of another. I looked down at my tattoo immediately covering it up with my fingers since it felt a bit foolish to have it out in the open. But I could see in his face, how his own tattoos were moving against his skin and in the sun, he wasn't going to do anything to me as I stood there with him a bit close to me.

"Yeah," I replied, seeing him look over at me with his warm brown eyes. A couple of others walked over to me now, with their own attire on as I stood there in an awkward manner, not thinking of what I should do in that position. The only one that wasn't there was the crocodile man, whom as hunched over his things in his own tub and was going through it with his clawed fingers. The tattooed inmate walked away then, like he didn't want to be in the mass group of them and wanted to be on his own before I could even ask him about his own, or just talk to him, in general, to see who he was.

"What's with the diamond tattoos? Is that some kind of kinky thing you have then?" Boomerang asked, once again sound too cheesy for his own good.

"Goddamn dude, can you get your own head straight for once?" Deadshot asked in a snort to him, Boomerang shrugging his shoulders with his big grin and rearranging his big jacket that he had one.

"You both ain't classy enough for her tattoos, ain't that right dollface?" Harley asked me in her wicked grins as she was in her own clothes, too revealing and too much in general for my taste. I didn't know how else to react to her but to nod and she giggle, the giggle itself almost sounded a bit too sinister for my liking.

"Tattoos, if you do ‘em right, can tell ya plenty of a person," She explained to the boys there with a smirk there, "Diablo over there can tell us plenty of his woes of life from just lookin' at his face," I looked to see the inmate that she was talking about, the one that she called Diablo. He was alone there, looking at what seemed to be his old gang jacket.

"What did ya do in get in that joint?" Deadshot asked me, having me eye him now as I moved my hair from my eyes and grabbed the spare bandana I asked from Flagg to move to place around my hair.

"Not a Goddamn thing," I replied smoothly, seeing him raise his eyebrows at me now as Boomerang nodded.

"People don't like metahumans, none of them, mate. Ain't ya heard?" He asked Deadshot as Deadshot looked over at him now, "They throw them prisons. Not reason, mate."

"Then there are people like us, too damn evil to run amok," Harley purred as she walked away from me, Boomerang joining her and Deadshot watching me for another moment two before he walked away too. I thought about that recent conversation that I just had with some villains as if they were meeting another persona t the bar. They weren't threatening me, still testing the waters with me sure, but they didn't see me as either a threat or prey. Did they see me on the same level playing field? I had no idea.

I moved over a bit from my spot to walk back to the middle of the area where I knew we were going to move out, seeing the tattooed inmate standing there and watching me carefully now as he then pointed back to my hand again, his jacket on him making him look a bit more muscular with his white beater on underneath and baggy pants with white shoes.

"Whoever did that did a good job on it," He commented, almost in a huff now as I looked down at my hand, slowly opening it up again to see the tattoo and I nodded.

"Pedro at the shop does a good job," I replied softly to him, not wanting to sound hard myself.

"Where did you get it done?" He asked me, taking another step over in a small sound like he was nervous just talking to me in general.

"Mid City Voodoux, over in New Orleans," I explained, seeing him nod his head as I placed my glove on and he motioned with his head over to all of my diamond tattoos that I had here and there along my skin.

"You like diamonds I take it?" He asked seeing them there and I nodded one again.

"I learned to embrace what I have, show it off without been seen," I explained, watching him study me and almost accept it, but was still a bit moved from how I said it. I did learn, later on in life, that what I had was not going to go away anytime soon, so better embrace it in any way that I could rather than pushing it away and calling it quits and hating it.

"What's your name?" I asked him, seeing him pause from the question like he wasn't seeing that one coming from me.

"Why you wanna know?" He asked me, almost suspiciously, having me think that I overstepped it with him and wasn't going to be interesting in talking to me. I nodded, shoving my hands in my pockets then and was walking away from him.

"Forget it," I replied to him, seeing him watch me now as I moved past him to head back with the rest of the group. it made me feel foolish to just go up and talk to him, not even knowing more about him and why he was a villain in the firs place. It felt like the rest of them were meant to be villains, with him thought it felt like he didn't belong here. He might have looked it, but something in how he spoke or in how he carried himself seemed less threatening and calmer. I walked over to the line of the villains as Rick Flagg spoke to us.

"Behold the voice of God," I looked over to see Rick Flagg holding out an iPad and a screen image coming up, the image of Amanda Waller. I watched her now as she was facing us all in a line

"For those of you who don't know me officially, my name is Amanda Waller. There is an event in Midway City. I want you to enter the city, rescue HVT1 and get them to safety," He explained on the screen with her stone face there in place.

"I'm sorry, uh," Deadshot said in a stammer, "For those of us who don't speak good guy, what's HVT1?"

"The only person that matters in the city, the one person you can't kill. Complete the mission you get time off your prison sentences, fail the mission you die. Anything happens to Colonel Flagg and I will kill every single one of you. Inmate Talbert that you recently met is under my protection and care, something happens to her, you all die too." Some of them looked over at me as I was looking at the iPad now, seeing myself going a bit frozen from the inside out now.

"Remember I'm watching. I see everything," She was then clicked off the iPad and Rick placed it at his side.

"There's your pep talk," He said to Deadshot in a deadpanned face.

"So that's it? We're some kind of suicide squad?" He asked him now, unmasked as to what was ahead of us as Rick walked past him with his other soldiers.

"I'll notify your next of kin."

Wonderful.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> " El Diablo," He said it softly over to me now, but still with a hint of a gruff there in his tone as I looked over at him now in confusion.
> 
> "What?" I asked, seeing him look right at me.
> 
> "You asked for my name, it's El Diablo," He replied back to me, having me watch him for a moment or two to really have the ahem drink in now. I didn't think that it did fit him, though it was tattooed there on his face near his jaw. It almost was like he was trying to find a way to make himself more intimidating, more than the tattoos apparently. 
> 
> "El Diablo," I repeated, making sure it sounded fine on my own tongue. As soon as he said my name, he looked at me almost in a warm manner, like he approved in how I was saying it and I grinned at him softly, "I say it real bad don't I?"
> 
> "Sounds fine to me,"

 

 **Tulane Medical Center**  
**New Orleans, Louisiana**  
**5 Years Ago**

"Let me see, chere," I moved over to have her see the damage to my eye, the heart monitor there along the wall was beeping away to show that I was healthy and just fine. But there I was int he hostile bed early in the morning with a gash there along my right eye, some slashed there from the beer bottle that got into my skin there near my eye. It was still stinging near my face, the drugs that they gave me to calm me down from the pain, and there was my mother fretting over it after she saw me bleeding out on the floor.

My father, nowhere to be seen.

Apparently, he wandered off to the backyard while my mother was taking me to the hospital, not even caring that I was going there. I wondered what my mother was thinking about when they were doing the surgery on me and getting the glass out of my face. Thankfully, since I had that ability that was making me tougher than usual, the surgery went fine. They pumped me with drugs, though I knew I didn't need a single drop of it.

I still had to play the part.

"Goodness, child," My mother cooed at me as she touched the corner of my face, having me squint and move away from her in a fraction of a second. There were two distinct stitches there on my cheek and along the skin, having me realize that they were going to be scarred later in life and I had to live through it. She saw what I did, and I didn't want it to be far too obvious, but now that it happened, she started to cry. Tears were falling so gracefully on her aged face as I watched her, saying nothing since I felt like she was now catching on to what was going o with me and my own father.

She knew. It clicked in her head.

"I'm so sorry my love," She said to me now in a worried tone now as she was almost about to sob then from having it all make sense in her head. I didn't want her to feel this way, to think that this was all her fault for letting this happen. I knew that it would be the guilt that would kill her in the end, both inside and out and that was the last thing the I wanted for her. She was far too kind for something like that.

"It's not your fault, mama," I reassured her, but she shook her head.

"I should have stopped it from the moment I knew it was going wrong. It's not right for him to do something like this to you. He hasn't been your father for years, and it's been all my fault." She said in short gasps from her crying, having me breathe out slowly and see her hide her face in her hands in defeat and sorrow.

"It's because I'm different, mama," I explained to her, seeing her slowly look up at me now and having me see the serious look on my own face. She had to hear it from me, not just play around it and make it seem like it was another day for the both of us, "He hates me, he doesn't like be being different." She was drinking it all in now, hearing it come out of me finally after os many years of me trying to convince her that this would be a disaster for everyone around me if they knew what kind of person I was. She was trying to me optimistic about his whole thing, light-hearted and pure about me being different. But now I think it was about to change.

"I'm leaving him," I looked at her in shock now since that new revelation came over her and into her brain, saying it like it was set in stone and permanent, "I won't let him doing that to my child anymore."

"Mama…" I started but she shook her head.

"No butts about it, _Chere_ ," She explained, having em go silent now as she breathed out slowly and looked at me dead in the eye, "I have thought about it for awhile now. There's nothing there between us anymore, and there hasn't been one for years," It felt odd for her to tell me this, about my father and their marriage. I said nothing, though, letting her sniffle a bit and sit up a bit more and breathe out smoothly.

"Are you sure?" I asked her finally, seeing her give me some kind of glare.

"Having me look at you and know what he has done for you is enough of a decision."

* * *

  
**Present Day**

I rearranged the vest I had on while I was getting in the helicopter that was about to take us over to the city where we were going to be in, making my way over to the side where one seat was open. It was getting darker in the sky, and I could hear the copter getting ready for taking off. Harley was next to me on one side, Deathshot next to her other side, and Croc was across from me, eyeing me as I was sitting down and I eyed him back.

"Don't sit near the windows," He growled at me slowly and in a deep tone, having me eye him now with a raised eyebrow.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Windows won't hold us freaks in," he replied, having me see him smirk with his wide crocodile teeth and I grinned back at him, hearing the humor there in his tone and there on his face. I sat down, though, seeing him look in another direction and I strapped myself in.

"It's going to be a bumpy right ain't it?" Harley asked in optimism, the tattooed inmate walking up into the copter and seeing the spare seat next to me, looking at it in hesitance before he looked at me too. I didn't say anything at all since it would feel a bit more awkward if I did.

He sat down next to me, having me feel the small amount of heat for some reason coming off of him as she strapped himself in. I didn't think it was him, not at first and I thought I was feeling queasy about the mission coming up. But I was feeling the hotness there next to me, from his side of the seat. I knew it was warm, maybe from inside the copter or what, but I had a strange feeling that it was coming from him of all people.

"El Diablo," He said it softly over to me now, but still with a hint of a gruff there in his tone as I looked over at him now in confusion.

"What?" I asked, seeing him look right at me.

"You asked for my name, it's El Diablo," He replied back to me, having me watch him for a moment or two to really have the ahem drink in now. I didn't think that it did fit him, though it was tattooed there on his face near his jaw. It almost was like he was trying to find a way to make himself more intimidating, more than the tattoos apparently.

"El Diablo," I repeated, making sure it sounded fine on my own tongue. As soon as he said my name, he looked at me almost in a warm manner, like he approved in how I was saying it and I grinned at him softly, "I say it real bad don't I?"

"Sounds fine to me," He replied, having me feel a small flutter within my chest from how he said that to me. It was so kind and genuine at the same time, almost like he thought it sounded great. The helicopter started to lift off from the ground and we were about to catch a little bit of air when someone hopped into the back opening of the helicopter, all of us were looking over and we saw a new figure there with what looked like to be a katana sword at her side. She had on a mask, what looked like the Japan flag there and her whole outfit made her look like a warrior. I was speechless.

"You're late," Flag told her, in which she spoke back to him in Japanese, sounding a bit short on her end now as she watched every single one of us.

"This is Katana, she has my back. She can cut all of you in half with just one sword stroke just like mowing the lawn. I would advise not getting killed by her," Flag explained as we were watching her and she was watching us now, "Her sword traps the souls of its victims."

"Harley Quinn! Nice to meet ya!" Harley said as she thrust out her hand for Katana to shake, who was gazing her with a deadly look, "Love ya perfume! What is that? The stench of death?" She giggled after she said that. El Diablo and I looked at each other in hesitance as Katana asked Flag something in Japanese, grabbing the handle of her katana and getting to ready for use. Maybe Harley pissed her off, but Flag stopped her.

"Easy cowgirl! Ain't that kind of a mission, have a seat," He instructed her as she placed her hand away from the handle and sat with him now, I looked over at Harley now and I saw her grin at Deadshot.

"She seems nice,"

* * *

  
I was thinking to myself most of the plane ride, on how this was the last place I thought I would be in for a general sense. I was sitting inside a plane filled with military and super villains. Sure this is what my mother would want for me, and who cared about what my father would think, or where he was in general. I was more thinking about that fact that Amanda Waller was going to offer me freedom from the prison if I was going to help them with this mission. What was I going to do with my life after this? Where was I going to go? It seemed like it was about to turn around in the corner and yet it was so far away at the same time.

The helicopter was moving in a rough manner, having em snap back to the reality now as Harley was saying something about the lights outside the window there. I looked over, Diablo doing the same thing now as I saw the city far off in the distance, the skyscrapers there high in the sky and something in the back there with a bright beam of light reaching high up, flicking too right for me to look at directly. Something looked wrong about it, things circling around the side of it like a halo and that looked like pieces of a building and or the street. This was bad, real bad as we were getting closer to what it was.

That's when we were hit and we were spiraling to the ground.

I could feel my stomach dropping as we were spinning in the air, my hair was lying above me and floating int h air now as I shot my eyes closed and tried to breathe in and out. I knew this was going to be some kind of impact that could have me hurt either way, in which I knew it was going to be time for me to use my powers then. The crystallizing was starting to form now along my chest and blossom out into my arms and legs as we were descending faster and faster. I had to make sure that I was not going to get hurt here before the mission was really going to start.

Then it all went dark.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:**  
>  I hope I'm doing okay with the story. I don't want it to go too fast or make it too light. Let me know if I need to add anything or make it better!! I've made it lovely and good for Rose and Chato, I promise
> 
> A Review or Two would be great!
> 
> * * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of things shot first, hitting me square in the head and it knocked me back a bit, almost making me lose my footing. I could feel the bullet hitting me hard, but it pinged off like it was a paper ball hitting the wall. Deadshot spun his head to look at me in shot thinking that I was done for, but it was not the case. I cracked my head from the feeling of the bullet hitting but I stayed still, looking at him now with a raised diamond eyebrow.
> 
> "What?"

I woke up with a gasp in my throat and my eyes wide, smoke was filling my lungs and I was seeing the helicopter, at least the side of it now as I was crumpled up and against the wall of the vehicle. I was still breathing, at least I knew that, and I tried to move around to make sure nothing was broken at all. Everything felt fine, but my heart rate was going way too fast now as I could hear people moving around and trying to get out of the helicopter itself. I was fascinated by how I was still alive, reaching out with my hand there as I felt that something was still pressing down on my chest really hard, almost impossible to move from where I was. But I looked down, realizing that I was pinned down.

I reached, seeing that I was still crystallized from the impact to protect me from the fall, grabbing the big box that was pushing me against the wall and pushing it hard, harder than I thought and I could see it moving there.

"Where's that Talbert chick?"

"She's back in the chopper!"

"Great, we have to babysit her ass," They were already grumbling about me as someone was walking over to grab me, having me look up and see that it was Diablo. He looked down and saw that I was pinned, my chest pressed hard against the corner and he rushed over to grab some of it away from.

"She's pinned!" Deadshot said as I shoved it hard, using the small amount of strength this power gave me and I felt the box fly back from my shove and hit the opposite wall with a jolt, the others around me freezing as they saw me literally throw the huge box the size of a horse against the wall like it was a paper ball. I sighed in relief, looking down at the damage on my vest there from the box almost piercing me in the side. I knew that if I was human, not a metahuman, that could have wounded me permanently.

Blessing indeed.

"You alright?" Diablo asked me as he reached, having me grab him and he helped me by hoisting me up from the ground.  I hopped onto my feet with ease. I could feel more of the heat coming off his fingers touching my own now as we locked fingers and he hoisted me up. I could feel my body going back to normal, no more as a crystal diamond walking around and moving but now looking like a human, smiling at him with a nod of my head.

"I'm good," I replied in a huff.

"Crickey, Sheila. That should've killed ya." Boomerang said in a whistle now as the rest of the group saw me there too. I felt like one again they were reminded that I was no delicate flower to be thrown around, I was tougher than I lead on and they were slowly letting that be.

"Let's go," Deadshot said to the group, the others following him out of the copter now with the other military men that were there with us that survived.

"What a ride!" Harley said in glee with her wooden bat as I looked back at Diablo.

"Thanks," I thanked him, seeing him still look at me from what I showed the group and he slowly nodded his head.

"No problem," He replied merely, the both of us slowly looking away from each other and walking out into the darkness of the city. I looked around, seeing nothing there but the dissolution and the abandonment there that used to have so many people. Not one person was in sight, and with the evidence of the overturn cars and rubble everywhere, we were in for some kind of fight for certain.

It was already ugly.

I stayed close to the group, the military group with Flag taking the front with their guns and the rest of us were in the back, following them and not saying a word. We didn't know what to say since we didn't what was going to be in for us to experience. I was a bit nervous from seeing some of the debris throw around like raggedly, buildings were either sliced in half or about to be from the damage and some kind of matter on the ground that looked more like frozen black oil or putty. This has to be something big, big and nasty now as we were walking and I looked around feeling smaller and nervous than anything.

Boomerang and Slipknot were talking to each other under their breaths about something as I stayed close to Diablo and Croc now, my fingers were tapping against my side snow in nervousness and in fear that something could potentially move out and get us before we could even blink. It could happen, and I wondered if it was going to happen soon as we were about to turn a corner and go down another street that was leading us towards the center of the city.

It got ugly fast.

The next thing that I knew, Boomerang and Slipknot were punching military men and they were trying to run, the rest of us standing there in shock and some of us were ready to be defensive. I didn't know what to do since it felt like running was not the best idea for anyone at this point. Boomerang was sparring against Katana who was trying to stop him from leaving and she pinned him against the wall now with her sword against his neck. The military personnel was now aiming right at us, seeing who was going to move next.

But Slipknot, with one of his devices that looked like a gun, shot at the corner of a building and rope came out, seeing him fly up by the rope to make his escape. Flagg was about to shoot hi as I stood by Diablo, the both of us were watching as Rick got something from his phone, holding it out and having me see that there was a picture of each of us, our mugshots.

What the hell?

He tapped something on his phone, then having me see something almost explode a bit on Slipknot's neck and he limped dead there against the wall, hanging like a puppet on a string and not moving. My eyes went wide, I saw it finally in action.

His bomb went off.

"Holy shit," I muttered to myself, reaching up to touch the area where I knew they placed the injection. Now it felt more real than before, almost like reality was setting in now as some of the others were still on shocked from how quick and easy it was with Rick touching the button with his finger.

"Now that's a killer app!" Harley said with a small smirk now as we were all shocked about it and how it all happened so quickly.

"Okay, you wanna keep playing the Hollywood Square's version of _‘I'll Blow Your Freaking Head Off_ '?"Flag asked the group now as we were watching him and I stayed still, seeing him look at Diablo now, "Are you next?"

"You're tripping, homie," Diablo replied now in a cool fashion as Flagg turned away and walked on some more, anger in his steps over to Deadshot.

"You next, Deadshot?"

"You just threaten me?" Deadshot asked as he walked up right to his face.

"Oh, yeah."

"He just threatened me," He said in a cool manner, almost in a smirk as he pointed at him right at his skull now as he walked away and back over to us. Flagg muttered at us to move under his breath now and we were walking again, the tension in the air was bigger than normal.

We kept walking, having me not want to say anything about what I just saw and how it would look for me to say something. Harley and Deadshot were talking about something under their own breaths, maybe about what juts happened and what they were going to do about it. I was more reluctant to do anything really. It still felt like I was on eggshells with the squad, and I didn't want to make it worse. But now that were still walking along the streets and seeing more and more of the damage, it was making it more of a scary concept to think about. Some of those morphed objects along the road, a few that we saw we stopped in front of, made it more chilling.

"Boss we've got movement up ahead,"

"I'm on my way," Rick said back to the intercom in his wrist as we were now moving along to follow him. I could see that something was about to happen and we could be caught in the middle now as we were coming to the cul-de-sac that was up ahead. I stayed behind like the rest of the villains there, the military personnel were moving over to the sides now and getting close to either the walls or the police cars that were abandoned and in the middle of the road.

"Amanda we gave hostiles up ahead," I heard Flagg said into his intercom as I looked back at the deserted street behind us. There was nothing there, but then looking forward at where they thought they saw something made me panic since it looked like something was moving a bit out in the distance near the end of the road.

Deadshot, Boomerang, and Harley were near another car, watching as though it was another day on the job as I was more back with Diablo and Croc, Croc moved up a bit as Boomerang spoke to Deadshot and Harley in a low tone. Harley had her arm on Deadshot's shoulder, very casual now as I was left with Diablo in the back.

"I don't like this," I said to him under my breath, mostly to myself really but he could hear me as he tilted his head over to me now with a knitted brow.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"It doesn't feel right," I explained in a breath, seeing him look back in front of me now too, I hoped that he was getting the same feeling that I was getting.

"Hey, I like these odds mate. Just say the word," Boomerang said to Deadshot now, having me see that he was also once again trying to be a loose cannon and want to get out of there, or at least be reckless.

"Come on," Harley egged him on from her side next to him, Deadshot nodding but not looking confident about it.

"Yeah, uhh, hold that thought." he moved away from him now as I was watching him with my eyes, seeing him slowly walk over to the military group a few feet away from the others and he was going in a cautious way about him. He was placing someone on over one of his eyes as I took a few steps over to where he was, thinking that he might need some kind of backup. Why was I thinking that? To protect a villain in something that could possibly go wrong? That shouldn't be in my nature.

So why did I want to make sure he was okay?

"Wait," Diablo called out to me as I started walking over, thinking that it had to some kind of a good idea to get a better view of what those things were that were off in the distance. I could feel myself thinking that I would be best in my metahuman for, so I felt myself crystallizing again now and getting most of it over me now as I was standing a bit behind Deadshot, after hearing hum ask Flag what those things were.

"You cut and run I'll blow your head off."

I looked some more, my whole body was now crystalized and staying a bit behind Deadshot as he got his rifle out and peered into the scope, the sinking feeling of dread was coming in harder and harder within my chest and down to my stomach. Something was about to go south real quick.

And it did.

One of things shot first, hitting me square in the head and it knocked me back a bit, almost making me lose my footing. I could feel the bullet hitting me hard, but it pinged off like it was a paper ball hitting the wall. Deadshot spun his head to look at me in shot thinking that I was done for, but it was not the case. I cracked my head from the feeling of the bullet hitting but I stayed still, looking at him now with a raised diamond eyebrow.

"What?" I asked, seeing him shake it off and start shooting the being there.

Gunfire from their side as they were running outwards us, whatever they were. They were running towards us and the military men were shooting back at the same amount of force, the bullets flying to and fro and a few of them were hitting off of me. I knew that I was this strong, but not as strong this what was happening to me in that moment as they were dodging over the top of the cars and one of them jumped right on me. I fell to the floor, the sound of my materialistic body hitting the concrete rang out but I glared at the being that was over me. His head looked melted off and replaced with something else that didn't seem human.

Time to play a good guy.

I slammed my diamond fit into him, hard and hearing whatever it was crying out in pain as it fell back and I jumped up, grabbing it by the front and throwing it into the brick wall to the side. This was some insane way to fight from my own position, not having a skill with a gun or having claws really. It was more to being hit by them and then chucking them out of the way, thankfully my metahuman strength was enough for me to carry on my own. I did that a few more times within this battle, dodging and throwing and punching down to the ground. it seemed messy compared to the others, but it really wasn't going to be clean anyhow.

"Good riddance," I heard next to me, having me look to see why Harley would say that I saw what she meant: Flag was taken by three of those things and it seemed like he was going to die. It got me to panic now as Deadshot was the one who reminded Harley.

"If he dies, we die!"

Harley reluctantly ran over to him with her bat, having me to follow her and get some of those things off of him now, throwing my fist back and trying to hit it as it dodged me and slammed its gun at me as if it was trying to stun me. I grabbed the gun, wielding it like a bat and knowing its head off like it was a ball on a tee ball holder.

It happened so quick.

Deadshot was off shooting from of those things back in the front where it all happened, Croc was throwing those things off his back like he was wrestling in the Olympics, Harley was still hitting with her bat like she was in baseball, Boomerang was in the alleyway with one of them slicing through them, and I was fending off a few here and there, all the while I could see out of the corner of my eye Diablo was off to himself, not fighting at all and staying clear of the whole thing. Did he not want to fight? The way that he looked and how he was acting than in the moment was not making and not mixing together. I pause to watch him, seeing the look in his eyes now as he was watching me.

The look of pain.

Something struck me, having me realize that I was still in a battle now as a gun was hit hard against my face like it was a bat to me, It was a mere ding off like it was just a push instead of a gun hitting me hard. It made me look back at the being now, a tilt to my head now as the being itself quivered a bit from the lack of what it did to me. I grabbed his gun now, ripping it in half like it was a loaf of bread and I smack him with both pieces, seeing crumple to the ground as the first battle ended there

It all went quiet, and I survived.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sheila over here had more action than you, and that's a wee bit embarrassing, aye? Being showed up by a girl?" He asked Diablo now, having me glare at Boomerang since he both brought me in the conversation and was still ragging on Diablo.
> 
> "Knock it off, Boomerang," I warned him slowly now in a low tone, Boomerang looked over at me now with a glint of fire in his eye.
> 
> "And what will ya do if I don't, Luv? Eh? Turn me into a pretty diamond popsicle?" he asked me, challenging me then as I was about to answer.
> 
> "Whip your ass, that's what she'll do," Diablo replied smoothly

She was hitting the body, over and over and over with her bat in hand and with a grunt in her tone. We were all pretty much done from then on out, with me trying to rearrange some of the small aches and little pains that I felt from that fight. It was still odd to me that I could survive something like that, something that a human could clearly die from. But once again, my meta side of life was more prone to having these kinds of beatings. It was odd that I was used to me, being hit for whatever reason. It had to be wrong, but it was normal for me.

"Hey! Hey come on," Deadshot wanted Harley as he was watching her hit the body over and over again.

"What? I saw it move." She explained, the body twitching a bit and she hit it one more time, "See? It flinched, I think."

"Hey, you were some help, Princess," Boomerang said to Diablo now as he watched him with hesitance there on his face. I was worried that they were going to start some kind of fight there as Diablo spoke up finally.

"It's better this way," Diablo said to him calmly, "Trust me." He was waving his hand in front of Boomerang and I saw him make fire with his hands there, a simple fire trick that had me amazing since it was the first time I saw him do something like that ever since we met. Boomerang mocked him with a grin.

"Oh, yeah, you're the fire bloke, eh?" Boomerang mocked him again with his own smirk and I saw the gold tooth there along with his other teeth as he got close to Diablo.

"Yeah I was, yeah," Diablo answered.

"Well, right here. Looky here," Boomerang said to him, showing him his lit lighter now and Diablo watching him, making spooky sounds about it now before he took out the flame and it placed it away. Diablo was looking at him almost like a fool, but I stayed quiet then, thinking it was not my place to be put into the conversation. But I was wrong on that one since Boomerang posted to me then with one of his stubby fingers.

"Sheila over here had more action than you, and that's a wee bit embarrassing, aye? Being showed up by a girl?" He asked Diablo now, having me glare at Boomerang since he both brought me in the conversation and was still ragging on Diablo.

"Knock it off, Boomerang," I warned him slowly now in a low tone, Boomerang looked over at me now with a glint of fire in his eye.

"And what will ya do if I don't, Luv? Eh? Turn me into a pretty diamond popsicle?" he asked me, challenging me then as I was about to answer.

"Whip your ass, that's what she'll do," Diablo replied smoothly within seconds, having me see that Boomerang was caught in the middle of the talk between the both of us, he finally moved out of the way and over to one of the bodies to see if they had anything on them. I had to roll my eyes, he had to be that kind of bad guy after all.

"What are they?" Harley asked Flag as he walked by her.

"I don't know," He answered.

"Bullshit," Deadshot countered back," That thing had on a $3,000 watch. Is that a person?"

"It was," Flag replied to him in his low tone again, "Now it's not."

It made me look over to Diablo again to see what he was thinking about with all of this. Was he just as nervous? I had no clue, and I really wanted to know what was going on and if we were going to be dealing with more than what we could chew. He said nothing, but I could see on his face, along with the others, we were not liking what we were seeing.

Once again, we were moving out and walking behind the SEAL's that were far ahead of us, moving over more and more to the center of town. I was once again towards the back of the group and was shoving my hands in my pockets, thinking about how I just handled those things back there like I was shredding paper: with ease. It made me scared of myself, what else was there to me and my ability that I didn't know?

I finally looked back at Diablo to see him walking more timidly then, having me finally find my voice to talk to him once more that about that I saw in the past and with what I wanted to ask of him.

"Why didn't you fight, back there in the alley?" I asked him softly, thinking that I wouldn't want to go with the harsh approach since it would be too mean on my part and he's been through enough with the others bragging on him.

"I told that Waller chick when she brought me out here that I wasn't going to fight," Diablo explained to me, having me keep my attention on him now as we were going over to one of the shooting areas of the town with the store and big windows along the side for us to see, "That was my past, it's not me anymore."

"So you fought in the past then?" I asked him, more curious about him than anything, seeing him eye me then and wonder if I was pulling his leg or not. Did he think I was? I didn't want that got him.

"I made people afraid of me, because of what I could do. So I fought, I made myself a monster," He explained to me, thinking about ti to himself, "It cost me more than I bargain for, you know?"

"Kind of," I reassured him, "Not a whole lot, but sure. My own ability cost me my own father," He eyed me suspiciously now from how I said it and made it seem so simple.

"You lost your old man?" He asked me, the both of us were side by side then as I chewed the inside of my mouth.

"No, he just didn't want me anymore."

There was the sound of something hitting one of the glass windows there, all of us freezing and moving out of the way in time from the glass hitting the ground. After coming to, we realized that it was Harley whom broke the glass window and reached in to grab one of the purses on display.

"Seriously. What the hell's wrong with you people?" He asked her, but it sounded like he was talking about the whole group in general. Harley rolled her eyes as she threw her bag over her shoulder with her bat.

"We're bad guys, it's what we do."

We kept walking on then, dodging the fallen glass on the ground as I could see something orange glowing in the distance from the large tower that was reaching up to the sky. it was on Fire, I could see that, but I was looking back at Diablo with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Thanks, by the way, for defending me back there with Boomerang," I thanked him thoughtfully, seeing him nod his head slowly. It gave me a small flutter within my chest when he grinned, genuinely grinned at me.

"I don't like dudes disrespecting women. Trust me, I learned that the hard way in my past," He paused, having me think that hr spoke too much of what happened in the past, "It's true, though,"

"What is?"

"You would had whooped his ass hard. Not gonna lie, I would pay to see that,"

* * *

 

  
"Take a knee," Flag told his men as we stopped for walking underneath what looked like the remains of some kind of plane. We all stopped, seeing what was ahead now as the SEAL's did what he told them to do, the utter silence of the city was filling in the area once again now.

The building that was out in front of us by several blocks had an orange glow being it, tall enough for me to barely see the top with the red lights there and nothing else that was showing signs from our enemy. Deadshot walked over to Flagg now, crouching down next to him.

"Our body's at the top of that building," He explained to Deadshot as I stood there behind them with Diablo and Croc, along with Harley, "We go up there,e pull them out of the vault they're hiding in, Helos extract us off the roof. It's Miller time."

"Check," one of his men said as awe were moving towards the building, slowly and ready for anything I was watching with my own eyes, the darkness was now something that I was used to and no longer afraid of. Their guns were still out and ready for a fight now as we stopped in front of the lobby there, the glass doors there were still intact now as Flagg spoke into his intercom.

"Waller? We're about to enter the building. Get that chopper ready,"

Before I knew it, Deadshot was walking up to the lobby past the SEAL's a determination in his step let alone some agitation in how this mission was going so far as he then spoke to Flag.

"What do you say we get this over with?" He asked Flag before walking away from him without hearing him call out for him to stop. The rest of us follow suit since it was worthless topping him and staying behind. We all walked up together, going up the few steps that were available. He opened the door, the damaged glass already shattering to the floor and making enough noise for Flagg to follow him, as well as the rest of us.

Inside the lobby it was quiet, the lights were still on and it looked like a modern magazine kind of lobby as I was staying close with the group.

"Mind if we tag along?" Deadshot said to Flag as they both had their guns out and aimed t anything that would move. The both walked over to the intercoms there in the lobby at the front desk, the rest of us spanned out and moved around the area to get a look around when I heard Boomerang speaking up in an optimistic manner.

"Looks like we have a spot of luck, eh? Be a walk in the park. Easy peasy," He said in a lighter manner to Deadshot as I saw Harley walking away from us, thinking to herself maybe as I looked at the high windows and gulped. This was a tall building after all.

"Don't make me shoot you," Deadshot warned him, Boomerang laughing in return now.

"If he doesn't I will," I muttered under my breath, Croc next to me heckled with his deep voice.

"Psst!" I looked over to see who said that, seeing Harley as she was courted around one of the corners near the elevator and she was motioned for me to follow her. I raised an eyebrow at her, walking over to see what she was up to. When Ir reached her, she was getting in one of the elevators that were already open, about to close on her when I was going to stop it. She waved at me goodbye, blowing a kiss at me as the doors closed and she started going up.

Shit.

"Harley." I hissed, looking around to find another elevator that was about to close. Ir an over to it, not thinking about which floor it was going to go, but I pressed the up button and I followed her up, thinking that I could at least stop her from doing something stupid that could get all of us killed. I could feel the elevator going up as I was looking around to have some kind of sing as to which floor she was going up on. I saw the one side of the elevator was full glass, seeing the group below and they were running over to the elevators now themselves. Most of them were looking at Harley and her elevator, but Diablo and Boomerang found me on my own, Diablo looking like he was about to panic.

Panic over me?

I was going fine for a few second until I heard the glass shatter and something fly into the room: one of those beings. The grabbed me by the arms and the slammed me against the wall, having em grunt out in pain now as they were going to try and strangle me. I instantly snapped into my metahuman form, the diamond-form going through to my arms and fingers now as I twisted out of the hold, moving out of the way and grabbing it by its head to slam into my diamond knee. It grunted out, almost falling to the floor when I grabbed it's military jacket, throwing it against the wall and then out the same window that it flew into.

It all append quick, having me breathe out and close my eyes now as I felt the elevator stop and I heard the doors opening without me opening my own eyes.

"Oi, she's in here!" Boomerang called out, having me hear some footsteps walking over to me now as someone placed their hand there on my shoulder, or what felt like a hand. I opened my eyes, seeing Croc look at me with his knitted brow there on his scaly skin.

"You okay?" He asked in his deep tone, having me slowly nod my head as I got up again from my crouching position, hearing his grunt in response as we both walked out of the room now together, back over to the group. The others found me there, including Harley who was waiting for me with her bat on her shoulder again. I eyed her coldly now as she shrugged her shoulders.

"What? I wanted to play hide and seek. Geeze," She explained, Flag rolling his eyes at her now as Diablo walked over to me next to Croc.

"You alright?" He asked me, sounding a bit concerned since he could tell I was still breathing roughly now and I nodded.

"One of those things almost got me," I explained, seeing his eyes go wide for a spy second, "But I'm good."

"Of course, you are, Shelia. You're a tough little Diamond, remember?" Boomerang asked her as Diablo whirled around to glare at him, anger was in his eyes and I felt like he was about to tell him off once more. I didn't want that for him, so I threw out my hand to grab his jacket sleeve, seeing him pause and look at my hand there touching his sleeve like it was an intimate amount there between us as we locked eyes. I shook my head slowly, not wanting him to have a fight that I knew he didn't want.

"Don't," I warned him, seeing him think gin about it for a moment or two before he nodded his head and I released his jacket. Boomerang was already walking away, not seeing me stop Diablo from almost incinerating him from his comment to me. I stood up complete next to him, trying to shake off the hotness that I felt from his jacket or how our eyes locked and we were almost connecting together just in sight. This was wrong for me to feel something like this towards someone else, towards someone whom people would call a "Villian". But in my head it didn't matter how he looked or how powerful he was apparent, for something reason, something inside of me told me that there was more to this man than what I thought there was.

These feelings were real, whether I liked it or not.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wow," I said in a gasp as I saw the flames that Diablo inflicted.
> 
> "I know," he said in a low tone, almost like it was sorrowful. But I was seeing the flames and how he was capable of doing all of that, something so powerful for someone who seemed to not even want to inflict violence.
> 
> "It's beautiful," I said, voicing what was in my head. This whole thing, how he can something this great with the kind of heart I felt like he had and the kind of spirit that was different from the others. He looked at me in shock now, not getting what I was saying to him as I smiled widely.
> 
> "What?" He asked.
> 
> "What you did, it is beyond beautiful," I admitted to him,

We walked into the room, seeing the computers and the small areas that were set up all around the area and things looking disheveled.They were already gone, whoever used to work theses computers anyhow, and it was still too eery and quiet enough for us to move out and around the area and spread out and checking things out. I couldn't hear a single thing, an obvious sign of something yet to come.

 

"Hold," Flagg instructed, holding up his fists and we stopped.The SEAL's were aiming all in different directions with their guns and I felt like I was helpless without one.Why didn't I learn how to shoot a gun before hand?

 

"I don't like this Flag,” Deadshot warned him calmly as he too had his rifle out and loaded.

 

"I don't like it either," Flag said to him as I looked over at Harley, seeing her still look a bit cheery about what was going on and yet not at the same time.They knew something was up, both Deadshot and Flag now as they were hesitantly looking forward again.Deadshot finally got his white mask on, Harley grinning from ear to ear now as she looked forward.

 

"Pussy."

 

"I will knock your ass out.I do not care that you're a girl," he wanted her as he turned on his shop that was on his mask.Harley was still smiling, looking ahead again now with her bat on her shoulders and I looked over to Croc, seeing him tilt his head up at the ceiling as if he could hear something.I wondered what he was hearing and if he knew something was up.It was then that the ceiling broke, those things falling through the ceiling now and onto the ground.

 

Great, absolutely great.

 

We were breaking out into another fight.We were spreading out as more of those things were in the room and I was just trying to dodge them left and right.I was moving out of the way in time as one of those things had a knife there in its hand and it was trying to stab me there.Very quickly I was trying to dodge that knife while my diamond form was coming through, but it didn't come through in time when my arm was sliced from the knife.I quickly rammed the being with the side that was already formed and I saw him be launched in the air, hitting a few of the cubed walls and falling defeat.

 

I could see out of the corner of my eye Boomerang being thrown into a room and I ran over there to see if he was hurt, but my vision was blocked by another one of those beings, seeing it try to stab me with his own knife against my chest.As soon as the knife hit my diamond chest, it clanked against my chest and a spark was seen, having me grab the knife from the being as it stumbled back and I sliced its head, seeing it stumble to the floor in defeat as I moved over to where Boomerang was.

 

"Boomerang!" I yelled out, seeing him on the floor and a knife was sticking out of his chest.It made me panic, thinking he was dead as I then walked over a few steps.He shot up, having me yell out in shock as he grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it out to show that it was attached to a book that he stowed away and not his body. 

 

"For God Sakes," I said to him in a groan as I helped him up, seeing him nod at me and shrug his own shoulders.

 

"Best call me lucky ,Sheila," He said, having me snort at him.

 

"I wanna call you plenty of things, but now's not the time," I warned, hearing another one of those things behind us as I whirled around, watching him with a rifle there in his hand and I threw up my hands to block him from Boomerang.

 

"Behind me!" I yelled, seeing Boomerang take refuge behind me as the bullets were flying and hitting me all over the face and body, not making a hard or making any pain.I stayed there, taking the blunt of the blows that were coming now as Boomerang placed an arm on my shoulder.

 

"Duck, now!" He said having me duck down at he tossed one of his metal boomerangs at the being and it hit him hard in the head, stuck out against the skin and it fell to the floor in a heap.I finally stood up completely and looked over at Boomerang, seeing him look at me up and down now with my form in front of him.

 

"Don't you say a word," I warned him, seeing him hear my low tone of a voice now with my form in front of him.It might have just intimidated him, did it?

 

"Not a single bloody one," he said as we both heard some kind of struggle out there back in the main room, the both of us running over as Deadshot was making his way over to Flagg who was once again being taken by three of those things. 

 

"They're after Flag again!" He yelled, all of us stopping in our tracks from the fight and making our way over to him at a fast rate.

 

"Get off me!" He yelled as I was dodgingsome of those things that were trying to get us.We were surrounding him

 

"Circle up!Circle around him!" Deadshot commanded us as I was over to the side, the bullets were still flying and bouncing off of me now as I could see some of them were trying to hit Flag.I reached out my hand to block the ones that were going to get him, getting in the way of his vision.

 

"Let me fight!" Flag protested.

 

"You die, we die." Deadshot reminded as I got a couple of those bullets in my hand from them hitting them.The SEALS were doing their job now as I was moving a bit out of the way and over to the front of the group now since more their firing was getting intense.I wanted to at least help in some way or else there was no real point for me to be there. 

 

They were bouncing off of me with ease now as I was standing there, getting rid of most of the bullets there and thinking that I was either making a great decision or the worst decision there.But they weren't affecting me, nothing was real since my own form that taking most of the blunt.Somewhere deep inside, on the other hand, I could feel the energy seeping out of me for using this for far too long and with a lot of damage being thrown at me.I didn't do anything kind of training for something like this, so I was used to taking this much pain and force that I was inflicting on myself.

 

Once the last one was down and I heard Flagg said we were moving out, I breathed out slowly and I fell to my knees as the others were moving on, grasping the floor and was trying to breathe as I was going back to normal again.My arm was stinging from the gunshot wound that came through, having me look to see some blood there along my sleeve and into my skin. 

 

"Eh, you okay doll face?" Harley asked me as she placed her gun in her holder and learning down over to where I was and looking at me up and down, "You got hit?"

 

"I'm just,…I'm tired.I can't keep doing that for too long," I explained in ahuff as she grabbed my shoulder and hoisted me up.

 

"Well, learn from someone like me, quit being the good guy for once," She said with a snort as we were standing there, side by side and walking over to where the rest of the guys were and were walking.I was finding it hard to breathe from all the energy that I lost there within hours, which worried me that I wasn't going to be good enough for the group there.If I wasn't going to be indestructible, and I didn't know what to do with any kind of weaponry. 

 

I was useless.Great.

 

We were reaching another great room that had a wrap around walkway with higher windows that reached plenty of floors.We were walking along the side there, accepting the small walkway that we had before another round of firing went off at us.Boomerang hit the group, I moved over to the side of the wall near Croc now as the SEAL's were fighting back with Deadshot and I was just trying to get enough energy back in my system to help out. 

 

"Where you been, homie?"Deadshot as now yelling at Diablo now as I was trying to avoid getting hit, feeling some of my energy coming back enough for me to get my arm working again in my diamond form.

 

"This ain't my fight!" Diablo argued.

 

"You know what?You don't stand for shit, you ain't about shit!" Deadshot scolded him as I saw Boomerang avoided the both of them and the bullets that were flying as he was crawling on the floor.I moved my crystallized arm to my face to avoid getting anymore bullet hot there as the rant continued with Deadshot and Diablo.

 

"You wanna see something?!You wanna see something?!"

 

"Show me something, I wanna see something!"

 

Everything went bright then, bright and hot.

 

I was pressed against the wall from the force of the fire that was coming off of Diablo, whom as holding up his hands and shooting out the flames of fire.I was trying to keep myself farther away from it, the diamond arm that I had was a good enough shield for me not to hit the floor like the rest of the group.It lasted for what seems dilemma forever, having me wonder how much fire was he going to spew out.I couldn't hear anymore firing from the beings there on the other side of the courtyard, so it made me think that he scorched them all. 

 

The fire was gone now, at least away from us as I looked up from my shield that I made with my arm, seeing Diablo there breathing heavily.It might have taken a lot out of him too since he was looking back at Deadshot with a solemn look on his face, either that or a death wish.Deadshot said nothing now asthe rest of the team were getting up from being on the ground, having me move away from the wall now in a huff.

 

"I was just trying to get you there," Deadshot replied to Diablo as I looked down at my crystallized arm.That was a first, being immune to the damage of fire because of my metahuman.it scared me that I was capable of something like that, making me feel more powerful about it now as they were gone again moving, all but Diablo.He and I were the only ones that were standing there, trying to drink in what just happened and how it happened.I moved my arm back down to my side there, feeling ti go back to normal there and almost shaking from the vast impact of the fire. 

 

"Wow," I said in a gasp as I saw the flames that Diablo inflicted.

 

"I know," he said in a low tone, almost like it was sorrowful.But I was seeing the flames and how he was capable of doing all of that, something so powerful for someone who seemed to not even want to inflict violence.

 

"It's beautiful," I said, voicing what was in my head.This whole thing, how he can something this great with the kind of heart I felt like he had and the kind of spirit that was different from the others.He looked at me in shock now, not getting what I was saying to him as I smiled widely.

 

"What?" He asked.

 

"What you did, it is beyond beautiful," I admitted to him, but he shook his head almost in retaliation. 

 

"It's a curse, that's what it is," He reminded me, having me tilt my head at him.I wanted him to believe that he wasn't cursed, at least in my head, I hoped he knew that he wasn't cursed.But there was still more to him that I knew, more that was not scratched at the tip of the surface.I sighed then , looking away from him after I heard the group making some kind of loud noise near what seemed to be the stairwell.I walked away from Diablo, thinking that this was not a great time for me to try and convince him that he was not evil.But I could hear him mutter something under his breath as I walked past him:

 

"Lo que tienes es bella."


	8. Chapter8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know I remember you, back at the prison," he said to me under his breath now as we were going up another floor, having me look at him with a raised eyebrow.
> 
> "Really?" I questioned.
> 
> "Yeah, you would be escorted by my tank every once in awhile from the past few months. I remember because I saw your tattoo there along your neck, I thought it was a legit one too," He explained, his voice was soothing and calm when he said this to me, "At first I didn't know why they would lock up someone like you in a place like that."
> 
> "You didn't know I was metahuman?"
> 
> "Nah, not really. They didn't tell me shit, they hated me. But I caught on one day when they were taking me back to my tank. You were out at the REC yard, and I saw your hand and how it shined in the sunlight. That's when I knew: you were like me."

 

**Ruby Slipper Cafe**

**New Orleans, Louisiana**

**6 years ago**

 

"How are things there in college?" Mom asked me as we were sitting together at the cafe, having another one of our mother-daughter dates.It was her idea, though I was also on board with going out with just the two of us there within the crowded and small room.Jazz music was playing in the background and I could smell the coffee that was coming through from the bar where the barista was working away at the machine.

 

"So far so good.I like my classes," I explained to her as she took a drink from her tea and smiled when I was saying this, "I think one class is going to be challenging."

 

"Which one?" She asked, intrigued.

 

"Elementary Statistics.It's a tough one according to my roommate," I lightly answered seeing her nod her head and have another sip now as I was reading her up and down to see what was on her mind.Since we both left my father behind two years ago, I was worried about her and how she was dealing with the fact that she was single and no longer living with him.I knew that it made her happy out of that hell hole, I knew it was making me happy too.But there was a concern that she would have to be alone, no one really to talk to and to put her life back together from the shattered pieces. 

 

"How are you, mom?" I asked her, seeing him just gave me shrug now as I folded my hands on the table in front of me.Something was telling me that she was trying to have some kind of brave face there with me, she always wanted to put up some optimism whenever she was with me.

 

"I'm fine, _Chere_." She reasoned, having me raise an eye at her.I could tell she was trying to make it seem like she was fine, nothing was going to touch her or harm her.But knowing my mom and how many years she had the same thing with my father and fool him, she was an expert at hiding her true feelings.

 

It was a shame.

 

"Mom," I said to her, just saying the one word to her was enough for her to see that I was not going to fool me.She sighed, looking down at her cup there within her hands and her mind was going into overdrive again.

 

"It's been rough, _Chere_.I know that it's going to be awhile until things go back to normal, but it's better than what we had before, you know?" She asked me, having me nod in agreement, "But I'm going to get by.Your Aunt and Uncle found me a great job in the library by our house."

 

"That's good, mom." I agreed with her now, "That's very good.I remember how you would joke about being a librarian, and now you get to be one."

 

"Look at me reaching for the stars in my career!" She agreed with a small laugh, making me smile there too as I could see that she was looking a wee bit to my right, having me realize what she was looking at and the small look of guilt was back there on her face.

 

"Do they ask you, on how you got that?" She asked me in a small pause, her voice sounded timid and careful now as I stayed quiet for a moment or so.I nodded my head, seeing that she as not feeling so great.

 

"Only my roommate.I told her that I got in a car accident," We both agreed that it would be the best thing for me to lie about what happened to me, since the mere thought of telling people that I was hit by my own father. It would be a stigma that I didn't want at all on not only myself but most on my mother.She did not deserve something like that to live with for the rest of her life.She deserved better. 

 

"Look, things are going to be okay in the long run, you know that right?" She asked me, having me feel terrible for her.I knew that this was not easy for her to have me try to go on with my life, she wanted that for me.The best for me, even when I knew that the world was going to go against me as a metahuman.It was going to be rough for me, beyond rough and not even close to safe.But my mother, as kind and careful as she was, she knew that too and she hoped that she did the best for me. 

 

"I hope you know that you're a fantastic mother, with all that you got us through and since we left him, You're keeping us alive out here," I explained to her calmly. reaching over to lace our fingers together and to see the brokenness there on her face.I hated that, and I blamed him for doing that to her and her beautiful soul that I knew she harbored for as long as I could remember. 

 

"Don't you dare think that you're not a good enough mother to me," I reminded her, "You've done far more than any mother would: you protected me from him and got me away before things could have gone worse,"

 

She nodded, a small tear escaped her eye then as I squeezed our hands that were joined together there on the table, in which I was hoping that she believed and understood what I was saying to her. 

 

She had to believe that.

 

* * *

 

**Present Day.**

 

"Christ," I mumbled leaning against the wall there as we were climbing the stairs to get to the top level.I was still low on my own energy count, thinking that this was getting worse than it did before.How could something like this happen?Was it because I never used my own ability this much before?Was it because of the situation I was in, using all of my energy without a second thought to it?It felt like I was about to collapse from exhaustion and have an asthma attack at the came time.

 

"You don't look so hot," I looked up from resting my head against the wall, seeing Diablo look at me with worry.I hated seeing that face look at me in concern now as I breathed out slowly.

 

"I used too much," I mumbled to him, seeing him then grab my arm and hoist me up gently with his hands around me skin, the fiery feel of warmth there as our skin came in contact.

 

"Lean on me," He instructed, having me do just that without a single ounce of stubbornness to fight him as he wrapped one arm around me and the other grabbed the railing to hoist the both of us up with my combined body weight and his too.I felt terrible for him to do that for me as I was walking, but not as strong as Diablo and his stance. 

 

"I get the same way, you know," He reassured me "Sometimes it's hard to stand up when I used it too much."

 

"It's never happened before, trust me," I said to him, feeling the heaviness there in my stance as I was going up step by step, higher and higher up with the stairs.

 

"I think you lasted longer than I thought you would," He said to me in a huff now as I looked at him, smirking then at the worst time.

 

"Was that a joke?" I asked him out of breath, seeing him eye me slightly before looking ahead.I snickered, "El Diablo said a joke.You know you had a sense of humor after all."

 

"Don't let the others know," He said to me under his breath, his hold on my waist tighten a bit, having me feel it straight to my human bones then and almost lose my stepping on how it felt with me.I didn't know what was wrong with me, or how this was happening when we were on a mission, but there was a shift happening and it was moving both fast and slow at the same time.

 

"You know I remember you, back at the prison," he said to me under his breath now as we were going up another floor, having me look at him with a raised eyebrow.

 

"Really?" I questioned.

 

"Yeah, you would be escorted by my tank every once in awhile from the past few months.I remember because I saw your tattoo there along your neck, I thought it was a legit one too," He explained, his voice was soothing and calm when he said this to me, "At first I didn't know why they would lock up someone like you in a place like that."

 

"You didn't know I was metahuman?"

 

"Nah, not really.They didn't tell me shit, they hated me.But I caught on one day when they were taking me back to my tank.You were out at the REC yard, and I saw your hand and how it shined in the sunlight.That's when I knew: you were like me." He explained, having me feel as though this was some kind of secret that he was telling me a secret that he was bottling up for a long time.I never thought he would be some kind of guy to look my way, which sounded harsh but it was real enough.Realizing that he did see me for time and time and took the time to watch me from his own tank and own prison walls was enough for me to feel terrible that I didn't notice him before. 

 

"You weren't afraid of me?" I asked him, feeling a bit better on how he was carrying me almost up the stairs there and getting few ounces of energy back to me.He shook his head, having me look at him in surprise now.

 

"Nah, I thought you were interesting is all.Never saw someone that can change into a diamond before," He admitted.

 

"There's a first for everyone I guess:never thought I would meet a pyro like you before either," I said to him, seeing a small smile there on his lips and I giggled.

 

"Well, he can smile after all," I joked one again to him, seeing him roll his eyes.

 

"Don't make me drop you here," He warned me, almost teasing me in a way now as he rearranged his grip there on my hip there, almost slipping a bit and I could feel the fingers there through my own skin.It was almost intoxicating for me to feel, maybe that was going to be a problem later in life.I had to wait to see what it was going to be like, plus there was a realization that he may not even think the same way about me.Why would he?I wasn't as interesting as he was, nor was I as pretty since it was more of a depressing thing to think about myself.

 

It was odd, odd indeed.

 

 

We made it to the stop floor, Diablo finally releasing me and we were waling into what looked like another office that was cleared out with the wide window that showed the bright range flames that were bringing in the tinted heat.There were chairs and a coffee table out and about, having me see that this was more of a lobby than anything.The SEAL’s were already in there, Flagg was walking away from Deadshot and Harley now as he was holding his rifle.

 

“Wait here, please?I don’t wanna give this dude a heart attack, Okay?” He asked the both of them now as Diablo and I stood in the back and I could se Harley cracking a smile there on her lips

 

“Aww he’s embarrassed of us,” Harely teased as he was walking over a door that had some kind of security there on the wall next to the handle. 

 

“Hey, Flag.This dude better cure cancer after all this shit,” Deadshot warned him now as I looked out the window out into the city there.Flag looked from him over to me now as I was seeing the skyline there of the town, how small I felt and how high up too.

 

“Hey,” I turned to see him look at me, “You good?”

 

“Yeah, yeah i’m fine,” I said to him, seeing him give me a small nod before he went to open the door now.I looked back to the outside world, placing my fingers there and seeing the fingertips crystalized and tap the window there nonchalantly.It was leaving a ring there in the room as some of the group decided to sit in the couches and others stood around. 

 

“Something ain’t right,” Deadshot said finally, breaking the silence now as he started to walk over to the door now and I looked at him in wonder as to why he was thinking was something was wrong.What was his intuition like in the first place?

 

“Hold up!” Harley hissed before he disappear behind the door, seeing him sigh as she looked out the window too, walking over to me now as I could see the orange tint on her white and makeup face.

 

“Pretty lights, ain’t it?” She asked me, though I said nothing and kipping looking myself now as she continued, “Ain’t as pretty as those heart eyes that you have for the flame boy though.”

 

“Harley…” I warned her.

 

“I know things, and that is one thing that I do know.Trust me, he likes ya too,” She said to me in a quirky tone now as I stopped the tapping on the glass with my diamond fingers.

 

“You say one more thing, I will punch you and make you go blind,”

 

All she could do was snicker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This is less of an action chapter and more of an interaction one with Diablo and Rose. I wanted them to have more dialogue with each other, but I promise that I'll keep the action up in the next chapter.
> 
> Also, if you have some corrections to give me, which I don't mind at all, please private message me and not leave it in a review! That would be beyond helpful, and I really do welcome helpful notes and criticisms. It'll help me be a better writer!
> 
> Leave a review and some love!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Recent studies have been wondering if Superman is linked to this species of human, and if he is, then are the rest of them going to be for us or against us in society," Now some kind of scientist was talking to the news anchor there about our kind and what they were capable of. I took another long drink, placing the few dollar bills on the bar top and then hopping off the stool to walk out. I had enough to hearing about all that was happening in the world about metahumans. I felt like I had to hide out wherever I go, not saying a word about what I could do. But this was getting more serious and dangerous for me, just to walk down the street or to order food. 
> 
> I walked out onto the sidewalk there, seeing over to my left someone being escorted by police to the cop car with his hands behind his back. I watched for a second before I could catch on to what was going on.
> 
> "Another metahuman, it's the third one today,"

"There have been sightings and arrests of metahumans in all city areas around the country.Places like Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago and Detroit have been cracking down on the arrest of metahumans because of their abilities and the dangers that come with it.Already we have protests that are in major cities to stop the violence against the metahumans and their families, but more and more arrests are being made without any real consent or reason to,"

 

I grimaced, looking ahead at the bar that I was sitting on and taking another drink from the pint that was in front of me.I hated what I was seeing on the news recently, and I wanted to get a drink since I had no classes that afternoon and I was free until that night when I was going to have alate study session.But now that metahumans were being rounded up and were disappearing by the dozens every day, it was going to be tricky for me to go out at night and but be caught. 

 

Police and scientists were calling people like a nuisance to society, something that was not normal or decent to have around.They wondered both if it was a breakthrough of evolution or a breakthrough of an apocalypse. Either way, the metahumans were not being looked at in a positive way. 

 

"Recent studies have been wondering if Superman is linked to this species of human, and if he is, then are the rest of them going to be for us or against us in society," Now some kind of scientist was talking to the news anchor there about our kind and what they were capable of.I took another long drink, placing the few dollar bills on the bar top and then hopping off the stool to walk out.I had enough to hearing about all that was happening in the world about metahumans.I felt like I had to hide out wherever I go, not saying a word about what I could do.But this was getting more serious and dangerous for me, just to walk down the street or to order food. 

 

I walked out onto the sidewalk there, seeing over to my left someone being escorted by police to the cop car with his hands behind his back.I watched for a second before I could catch on to what was going on.

 

"Another metahuman, it's the third one today,"

 

I cringed and walked the other way, hoping and praying that I wouldn't have to go on the run. 

 

I prayed I didn't. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

I was leaning against the wall, controlling my breathing in and out through my nose and just trying to get my own mind back to the center again when we heard the door opening, all of us looking over there now as I was standing near Diablo, who was sitting against the wall.At first, we saw Deadshot coming through, then it was the very last person we would expect that had this whole thing through a loop.Harley was the one the spoke what was on our minds:

 

"No, way."

 

Amanda Waller herself.

 

What in the hell was going on?Why was she here?Diablo shot up from his spot next to meet, as if the rest of the group as they were examining her to make sure that this was a real thing that they were seeing.I was the first one to walk over, Diablo behind me along with Harley as we finally circled her and she looked at each and every one of us.I had no idea what was going on, and I felt like I was not going to be prepared to know what was going on after all.

 

"Let's go home," Flagg simply said, having me look over at him now in shock.Was he in on this too?It was beyond confused as Boomerang spoke up too from the other side of the circle.

 

"Yeah, let's go home.That sounds good.You guys wanna go home?Or you wanna go back to prison?" He was pissed, I could see it in his eye and I could hear it in his tone.SO far, I felt like I was on his side now since I felt like someone else should be there in her place.Was this some kind of test on her part with us? 

 

"I'm not going back to prison," Harley said coolly back at him before she gazed over at Waller now, death was now in her line of vision as I stayed perfectly still, not having enough nerve to say a single thing about this. 

 

"What I'm saying is, we will the pair of ‘em now before they kill us," Boomerang explained to her, having me see what was going on in his head.He just wanted this done and over with, so we might as well kill them both and walk away free people.Katana drew out her sword, but Waller stopped her and looked at her now with her own cool face.

 

"I got this," She whispered to her now as she looked back at the group of us then, "You all made it this far. Don't get high spirited on me and ruin a good thing," She said it in a warning now as she held up a phone in her hand, no, it was a device.The same kind that Flagg had that he used on Slipknot when he died.She was in control now, one push with her thumb that was so close to the glass and we were all dead.No one moved, they knew that too, Croc growing under his tone of breath and the others were no longer saying a work or being confident.

 

I could see her looked right at me now, her face was still stone-faced now as I was feeling like she was pouring into my soul from how she was looking at me.It almost made me want to go and hide, in which Diablo looked over at me in confusion and then back at Waller.Without thinking about it, I scooted a bit closer to him, seeing that he didn't move away from me from the simple act that I did.

 

"I didn't think you would last this long," She said to me, almost like a confession now as I looked at her in shock.it sounded like she didn't have enough faith in me for being here on this team, though she was the one that hired me on.Did she think that was others, the ones that were villains, were going to kill me off?It was almost a pain of a feeling that I had like it was a wave of disappointment there. 

 

She placed the device back in her pocket, walking through the circle that we made it now with no remorse and shoved her way past Croc lightly, who watched her for a second with his low eyes.

 

"I like her."

 

* * *

 

"Savior One-Zero this is Ground Element."We on the roof, this time, waiting for the chopper that would take Amanda out of the area since it was part of the mission.I was watching in silence with my hands in my pockets, seeing the helicopter slowly mauve its way around to have the back be open. I was still thinking about what she said to me back there in that room, how she thought I would have been dead earlier.It made me think that I had something to prove to her now since I was the oddball out of the whole group.I didn't fit in, did the others think the same way too? The cold air was picking up that night, thing giving me a shiver now as they tried again to talk to the chopper.

 

"Savior-One Zero how copy?Ma'am, they are not responding," I could see Flagg shift a bit now as he was listening in with what was going on.he then stood stiffly there, looking right at the chopper now and I looked at him to see what he was seeing.

 

"Our bird's been jacked.Light it up!"

 

The noise was the firs then, and then the machine gun.

 

I loved out of the way just in time, Boomerang and Diablo20 feet away from me as we were behind two of the vents that were perched up, the constant banging of the bullets from the machine gun was roaring and hitting so hard that I was blanking out and all else that was happening.Some of the SEAL's were falling left and right as I was covering my head and trying not to get hit by the sparks or the bullets.It was getting crazy now as I was thinking of someway to get to another.

 

My vent was about to me demolished for good, having me panic that I had to move within a second or else I was going to be hit.I then morphed into my crystalized form, taking in a few deep rebates and then shoot up and running over to the vent that Diablo and Boomerang were hiding behind.These bullets were flying so fast were ricocheting off of me so fast that it was making me diamond form red hot and almost unbearable to touch asI ran and jumped over one of the pipes that were poking up from the ground.

 

"What in the hell is that?!"That voice was a voice I hear rarely on the TV, someone who was far more villainous that I ever thought possible.But it couldn't be him, not that one. 

 

Could it?

 

"Dive for it!" Boomerang yelled as I loved and hit behind them and the vent.I could feel my Whole body was on fire from the rapid fire that was hitting my diamond body, the both of Boomerang and Diablo were looking at me in shock.

 

"What?" I asked over the loud gunfire.Diablo then reached over to place his hand there along my diamond arm, which was beet red now and I was about to yell at him to get off of me in case he was going to be burning himself.

 

"You're heating up from the machine!" He said to me, though I was looking down at our joined hand and arm now and wondering how he was holding me there and not getting hurt.How was that possible?Why wasn't he hurting?And why was he holding me there, almost in a protective way now as we were still hiding from the gunfire? 

 

Then we heard someone calling out to another, having me look over and see none other than Harley walk up from her own hiding spot and out in the open, the gunfire was not even close to hitting her as she was walking towards what looked like the edge of the rooftop.What was she doing?Was she out of her mind then as she was now running faster and faster, about to jump off.I finally mustered enough courage to look up and over to see her jump, getting a good amount of air there in her leap, and grasping a black rope that was dangling from the helicopter.

 

She was escaping.She knew those people firing at us.

 

"Deadshot, shoot that woman right now!" Waller demanded as we were all poking our head out and walking over to the edge, seeing Harley there on the rope floating away and giggling as she was doing this. 

 

"She ain't do shit to me," Deadshot responded casually as Waller eyed him with anger and determination there all over her face.

 

"You're a hitman, right?I got a contract, kill Harley Quinn.Do it for your freedom and your kid," She was so determined to kill Harley that I shot a look over to Deadshot now. trying to see his own reaction and what he was going to do.Flagg looked down, the others are speechless as to what she was telling him as if she had no idea what we did for the past few hours and All she wanted now as to kill her.It didn't feel right, almost like a gnawing feeling in my chest then. 

 

"Now she dead," He replied, having me morphed back to my human form and watch without movement as he got into position near the edge, rifle up and his scope near his eye.Boomerang was eyeing Waller with hate, but I was keeping my eyes on Harley as she was twisting around on the rope like she was in the Olympics, hanging upside down and grinning that whole time.

 

He took the shot.

 

"No," I said before I could even think about it, taking a step forward now as I saw her body from afar going limp.Diablo grabbed my arm then, having me look at him in shock as to why he was stopping me.But his eyes were still on Harley, having me look too and see that within a few seconds, she popped back up like she was playing dead, cackling as she was moving farther and farther away now.

 

Deadshot popped back up and walked over to Waller, leaning over to her with a smirk on his face, "I missed."He walked away from her, past Katana and Boomerang as I watched her float away, thinking that it would be the last time I was going to see her again and even call her a friend, or somewhere close to a friend really.

 

"Good one, mate," Boomerang said to Deadshot now in a small nod of approval. 

 

"It's Waller, Savior One-Zero's been hijacked.Shoot it down," Waller said to the walkie-talkie in her hand, Diablo and I looked at each other now in a panic.Was Waller really going to go in that far of a length?Was there more to her than I thought?I waited for a few seconds, waiting to hear that explosion that I knew would end her now and It made me mad, and that I couldn't do a Goddamn thing to protect Harley and whoever else was on the helicopter.It was the good guy part of me: protection.

 

The sound was deafening, roaring into the sky now as I saw a small explosion of flames far enough away to show that it was, in fact, the helicopter.I closed my eyes in defeat.

 

"Target destroyed, ma'am."

 

"Thank you now, get me off this roof." 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Miss me much?" Harley asked me as I nodded my head.
> 
> "Course I did," I replied back to her, "You let me hanging for a second there."
> 
> "Well, ya know little ol' me. Can't leave ya here by yourself with these men," She reassured, the both of us smiling as we walked on, "Besides, I wanna see you and our flame boy at least kiss."

Another explosion filled the sky, which was not a good thing to hear.

 

 

"Ops just confirmed.She's down.1k west,"Of course something like that would happen, having the rest of us look at the SEAL's that survived the attack and Flag now as he was thinking to himself now.He looked more pissed than concerned as we were waiting for him to say something, anything for us to do as he started walking over to the doors now.

 

"Let's go get her," He said finally, huffing it out as the SEAL's were following him.He walked over to Deadshot now, a solemn look on his face, "The mission's not over."

 

"Nah.It is for me.We had a deal," Deadshot replied in a low tone now as he eyes Flag.

 

‘Without Waller, you got nothing," Flag reminded him, walking away from him now with his head down and Deadshot sighing in frustration and we were standing there on the roof.How much more could we take here?Since she was now alive, we had to go get her since she was holding our life in the balance, like a puppeteer with strings attached to our arms and legs, along with our hearts.This was getting way more complicated, way more than I bargained for. 

 

I stayed there for a moment or two in the pouring rain, thinking about how I may some kind of bad decision to come here and work for this woman who seemed to have more skeletons in her closet than what she was willing to show.It scared me that she was holding my own life there with her hand, and it didn't really make me feel so confident anymore. 

 

Diablo walked up next to me, watching me carefully now as I was looking ahead at me at some of the smoke that was coming up from the sky. 

 

"You okay?" He asked, having me look over at him now and see the hesitance there on his face.

 

"I should have stayed in prison," I replied, thinking of nothing else to say within that moment now and I moved to walk away now, hating this situation and not wanting to be here anymore.It was dreadful, what I was feeling, and that sense of confidence there all around me like a bubble that was not going to burst anytime soon. 

* * *

 

We walked out of the building, back into the rain again and I was seeing none other than Harley Quinn, sitting on top of a Police Car and looking like she was soaked to the bone.I was wondering how is it that she was still alive, but then, knowing her and all hat she went through with The Joker in the past with their villainous acts, it was no surprise to be fair.She instantly saw us walking over to her now and she struck a pose on the car as if she was waiting for us. 

 

"Hey, guys, and lady!I'm back!I missed you all so much," She said in her tone as we approached her at the car and watched her.I couldn't help but smile, seeing that she was somewhat okay. 

 

"We're glad you could make it," Deadshot replied to her, the both of them were locking eyes with one another now and I could see something behind her own stare was breaking, something was raw and real that she wanted to hide from the rest of us or at least put on a good show for it.Deadshot helped her down from the car before he walked on with the SEAL's.

 

"Hey, craziness," Boomerang said to her, then tossing her the wooden bat she used and she caught it with ease.After he walked on, Croc, Diablo and I smiled at her and we walked with her to join the rest of the group.

 

"Miss me much?" Harley asked me as I nodded my head.

 

"Course I did," I replied back to her, "You let me hanging for a second there."

 

"Well, ya know little ol' me.Can't leave ya here by yourself with these men," She reassured, the both of us smiling as we walked on, "Besides, I wanna see you and our flame boy at least kiss."

 

"Don't start that again, Harley," I warned, starting to feel another argument coming on now as she placed her hand on my arm.

 

"I know what love looks like in someone' s eyes.You have it bad, like how I had it once for someone," She explained in a serious tone as we were talking side by side, "He has it bad too, you just don't see it like how I see it."

 

I stayed quiet as she said this and walked forward ahead of me, looking over to the back of Diablo's head as he was walking along.Did I have it bad?For someone, I would see from time to time in prison and now out in the field where we both could die at any second?It seemed impossible for me to think about and to register, the whole thought, in general, didn't seem possible.

 

The again, this whole shit hole of a situation was impossible, and yet we were proving it wrong.

* * *

 

The helicopter itself was shattered up and around, with the rain still coming down and some of it in shambles, I figured she would be dead by now.But from the looks of it, there was nobody as the rest of us waited on the outside with Flag looking on the inside.

 

"So let me guess, we're going to the swirling ring of trash in the sky.You know, ‘cause why wouldn't we?" Deadshot asking him as Harley and Croc were looking up at the beam of some kind of energy and light shooting up and the debris circling around it like a halo.We were getting closer and closer now, and it was getting real within the pit of my stomach with what was about to happen.

 

"When does this end, Flag?" Deadshot asked him finally.

 

"Load up, we're in for a fight," He replied back to Deadshot before once again moving away from him.The rest of us followed suit, Deadshot staying behind now to get some weapons for himself.I had to think of the same thing in my own head: When was this whole thing going to end?When was I going to be allowed by own freedom?At this point, walking along the street and getting closer to maybe what could be my deathbed, I didn't care about the freedom anymore.

 

I just wanted out of here. 

 

"If it helps," I heard next to me as Diablo walked up to walked next to me and to be in the same stride, "I'm glad you're out here."

 

"Why you figure?" I asked.

 

"Better out here and knowing what you can do than being back at the prison and rotting away," He replied to me, having me think about it really wonder if he was right, "Besides, I got to see you in action."

 

"The same with you," I agreed.

 

"Not that I wanted to do any of that," he countered, having me fall silent as to knowing how he felt about the whole thought of using his abilities.Did something go so and in his past?I wasn't a metahuman that wanted to embark her ability to the fullest tan wreak havoc, that was no my scene.But I knew that being ashamed of it would lead to certain despair in a person, and maybe Diablo was in the same boat. 

 

Deadshot walked past the whole lot of us in a fast stride, almost like he was about to power walk as he had something like a binder in one of his hands.Before I could even see what was it, he threw it, launching the binder at Flag and hitting the car right in front of the soldier to stop him.Flag stopped, being the binder break apart and the pages sprawled out on the floor before he looked at Deadshot now.

 

"You tell everybody everything, or me and you gonna go right now."

 

What in the hell?We all looked at Flag now as we could see him have some kind of secret there on his face, not understand what Deadshot went, but from how I could see some pictures there on the pages that fell out of the binder, he found something that he didn't like at all.Everyone was watching him as he shifted a bit there in his stance.

 

"Three days ago, a non-human entity appeared in the subway station.So Waller sent me and a woman with incredible abilities.A witch." He explained, having my eye go wide now as he went on, "See, nobody could get near this thing, but the witch could.Needless to say, the whole thing was a and idea.And that's who she escaped from Waller.So now you know."

 

It felt like a bomb was underneath us and it went off. 

 

This was slowly making sense, it was and it wasn't at the same time.We were sent here, to not only find someone who was important that turned out to be Waller herself but to help destroy some sort of witch?it was now officially suicidal as Deadshot nodded his head, already beyond pissed about it and how we were basically going to a death trap and with no way out. 

 

"You can just kill me right now, but I'm going to have a drink," He said it so nonchalantly as he moved away from the group to the building on the right, not looking back now as to show that he was officially done with all that we went through.It was over for Deadshot. 

 

"Hey, Deadshot.I need your help." Flag tried to reason, keeping his head down and knowing that he made a mistake with the group there in front of him.

 

"No, sir.You need a miracle," Deadshot said to him as he went into the bar without turning back.Harley then bowed to Flag, as if she was walking off the stage and then walking to follow Deadshot to the bar.Two down, and who was going to be the next one as it was sinking into all of us?

 

Boomerang left then, grinning at Flag one last time before he walked in with a pep in his step, leaving myself with Diablo and Croc.I stared him down now, seeing him analyze me carefully as I finally spoke up the one thing on my mind.

 

"Me too, Flag?" I asked him, seeing him say nothing.He knew that I was going to die too, that I wasn't a villain and the like I had in prison was at fault, but I was still going to die like one.There was no hope for a future for me, a freedom out of the prison.He knew it, and I knew it.It felt like he slapped me across the face and spat on my grave that was fresh and ready for occupation.I hated it, and I wanted to strangle him with my diamond hands to see him choke. 

 

"Come on," Diablo urged me, gently tapping me on the arm and Croc was following up right behind him.I followed the two of them now without turning back, my chest feeling like it was hardened and turned to stone, all from the simple betrayal of trust. 

 

I was used to it I guess. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You think you're a monster?" I asked him calmly now, keeping my diamond finger there on the surface of the lit bar, "What happened to you and your family was because of something was out on of your control. That doesn't make you a monster, Diablo. Believe you me, I lived with one."

Author's Note: Another non-action chapter, but it's the bar scene in the movie.I hope I did it right and brought some more depth to Rose and her background.Next one's an action one I promise!

 

Leave love in a review!

 

 

"Here's to honor among thieves," I looked over to Deadshot as he was raising a shot glass, Boomerang on one side of him, Diablo on the other side some stools down.Harley was behind the bar, Croc was sitting at one of the booths in the back, and I was on the other side of Diablo.I wasn't fleecing like talking, with the slow moving music in the background and the heaviness of what we all realized mere minutes beforehand, It didn't feel like a toast should be risen up at all.

 

"I'm not a thief," Katan replied to him softly as she walked away from him.

 

"Well, she's not a thief," He said in a optimistic way, all of them clinging glasses and raising them to one another as I stayed quiet, "And neither is Talbert down there, but she's one of us now"Some of them looked down my way as I was looking ahead, seeing my tattoo in the palm on my one hand and another tattoo that I got on the other, the words Por Vidawere etched into my skin there with another small diamond at the top of it. 

 

"Well, we almost pulled it off..depsite what everybody thought.The worst part of it is, they're going to blame us for the whole thing. And they can't have people knowing the truth."Harley was nodding along with her blue tropical drink and Boomerang was listening in with his Guinness canned beer, but I kept look gin ahead and drinking in all that he had to say about it.

 

"We're the patsies, The cover-up.Don't forget, we're the bad guys," He reminded them, pausing for a second before he went on, "Well, most of us are the bad guys.We have some good ones amongst that that some kind of hope for a future out there."I knew he was talking about me as I looked down at my own drink, a rum and coke that Harley made me without asking me what I wanted.Diablo looked over at me too, staying quiet with his own glass in front of him as I breathe out slowly and tapped my fingers together there on the top, one of my infers turning into a diamond and the sound of the surfaces hitting together was ringing in the room.

 

"For about two sweet seconds…I had hope," Deadshot said to Diablo now, with a small sense of reality there on his face as I looked too, seeing that he really did have hope that we could pull something like this off and get away with it clean.Their lives were more at stake than my own, if I was thinking about it right, they made more to fight for than me. 

 

Diablo scoffed at him lightly as Katana moved over to stand next to me at one end of the bar, "You had hope, huh?Hope don't stop the wheel from turning, my brother."

 

"You preaching?" Deadshot asked him

 

"It's coming back around for you. How many people you killed, man?" I shot a look over at Diablo now as he was saying this to Deadshot, and I feel an augment coming on.

 

"Don't," I wanted him quietly, but he wasn't listening.

 

"You don't ask nobody no question like that, ese," Deadshot warned him.

 

"You ain't ever whacked down no women?No Kids? " Diablo asked him, still going on with his stare and tone at Deadshot.

 

"I don't kill women or children," Deadshot said in a low tone now and without hesitation.Diablo nodded his head, but he was still focused there and looked too wound up that he was about to explode.

 

"I do.See, I was born with the Devil's gift.I kept it hidden for most of my life, but…the older I got, the stronger I got.So I started using it, a business you know.The more power on the street I got, the more firepower I got.Like that shit went hand in hand.You know?One the feeding the other.Ain't nobody tell me no.Except for my old lady, she used to pray for me, even when I didn't want it." He explained calmly, having me see that he got a bit soft from talking about her, almost like it was a touchy subject.Maybe it was, and I stayed quiet as he talked some more

 

He held out his hand, a small flame was there and it looked like a figure of some human being, but at first I didn't know who it was.It took me a second to realize that it was the woman that he was talking about, the woman there in flames dancing in the palm of his hand and he looked at it in sorrow before he looked back at Deadshot.

 

"God didn't give me this.Why should he take it away?" He asked him, but mostly in himself now as the figure kept dancing, almost making me realize slowly what he was talking about.In the past, some hurts before, I knew he talked about himself being a monster and never using his powers, and I felt like it was all going to circle back to what he was about to confess out loud.

 

"See, when I get mad, I lose control.You know, I just…I don't know what I do….till it's done."He placed an empty glass over the figure in flames, the figure struggling to get some breath there before the fire went out. I sat here in silence, seeing him look at the empty glass now and the abounded fire and I saw it all over this face.There was guilt, regret, sadness and pain there.Now it looked like he was struggling to breathe, almost on the verge of tears as he was still staring at the glass.

 

"And the kids?" Boomerang asked, almost in hope now and having me forget that he was listening in.

 

"He killed them, didn't you?" Harley asked Diablo now as she answered Boomerang's question.I felt terrible for Diablo, seeing him look beyond sad to think of just that memory and to be brought back to that place.Instantly I reached over, not saying a word since it wouldn't feel right, touching his arm there with the tips of my fingers.I knew he needed space, but I also knew that grief needed comfort, even when it was not voiced.Diablo flinched but didn't shove me away as I kept my hold of him there.Boomerang and Deadshot had their heads down, either in grief too or in respect. 

 

"Own that shit.Own it!" Harley snapped at him now in her cool tone as I shot a look at her, "What'd you think was gonna happen?Huh?"

 

"Hey, Harley.Come on," Deadshot tried to stop her calmly.

 

"What, you were just…..thinking you can have a happy family and coach little league and make car payments?" I could see Diablo getting angry again now as I was still having a hold on his arm in case he was about to snap at her.

 

"Normal's a setting on the dryer.People like us, we don't get normal!"She said to him in a stern manner now.

 

"Stop it, Harley," I said to her in my own low manner as Boomerang snapped at her now.

 

"Why is it always a knife fight every single time you open your mouth?" He asked her, seeing her go quiet and watch him now, "You know, outside, you're amazing.But inside, you're ugly."

 

"We all are," She reminded him, "We all are!Except for him." She craned her neck to Croc who growled at her, "He's ugly on the outside, too."

 

"Not me, shorty," Croc replied, moving his hoodie off for us to see his whole face, "I'm beautiful."

 

"Yeah, you are." Harley agreed with her wicked grin, then looking over at me now as I was still holding not Diablo's arm, "So is Talbert over here.She's the only other one here who ain't ugly inside and out."

 

"That's not true," I argued softly, the others looking at me now in wonder as I said it in a raspy manner, thinking of the past and how Diablo made me remember all that happened to me, "I'm tainted, not beautiful."

 

"Bullshit you're tainted," Diablo said to me as he watched me, the both of side by side, "Out of all of us, you're not tainted."

 

"Waller didn't tell you anything about me, did she?" I asked him, but mostly to the rest of the group as they were watching me, "Of course she wouldn't she wouldn't tell shit to us if she knew it would be going south for the mission."I took in a deep breath before I looked over at Diablo, seeing him look at me and wait on my every word there, knowing that I was about to open a floodgate and pour out my life to them, all of whom I was still scratching the surface.I moved my hand away from his arm now, seeing the tattoo in the palm of my hand there. 

 

"You think you're a monster?" I asked him calmly now, keeping my diamond finger there on the surface of the lit bar, "What happened to you and your family was because of something was out on of your control.That doesn't make you a monster, Diablo.Believe you me, I _lived_ with one."

 

No one said a word as the last sentence felt like venom seeping under the skin as I held out my hand in front of me and it was slowly crystallizing there in front of me to see the different of colors there coming from the light.

 

"My own father never wanted to have someone like me, he told me so himself when I was 6 years old….6.What kind of adult would talk like that to a child?My father hated me when it found out what I could do, he called me a freak and a bad omen from God himself.If it wasn't for my mother and her fighting with him, I would have died long from the beatings."I could picture it in my head, every single time he was looking down at me with shame there on his face and hate for me.I hated those memories.

 

"I tried to make the best of it when I got older, avoiding him when I would come home.My mother tried to make the best of it herself, but the older I got, the harsher he was to me.Roughing me up here and there, and they were small at first.But the beatings….man were they ugly," I could feel a tear coming through and escaping down my cheek as I pointed, with my diamond hand, to my scar there along my cheek and moved my face over for them to see.

 

"You see this?" I asked, none of them saying anything now as I went on and tapped my skin there to feel the dent from the scar, "8 years ago my old man threw a beer bottle at me because I told him something that he didn't like.Just for talking…and he'll scar and damage me to let me know that I was worth less than the dirt under his Goddamn feet.That is a monster, in my opinion, someone who lives to bring others pain and horror.He never loved me, never looked at me as his daughter, but as someone who brings shame….someone who he would disown and…….turn over to the police for profit."The last bit, the one part that I threaten to bury with my past and with what I didn't want to surface, now it the in the open and for all to witness and see.My hand went back to normal now, almost shaking there.

 

"Holy shit," Boomerang said in a low manner, almost in a mourning kind of way.

 

"Your own father threw you in prison because of who you are," Harley said in a sinister manner, gripping her hand around the handle of her drink, which was surprising me from who she as reacting to the whole thing. 

 

"That's why I was there, at Belle Reeve," I said shortly.Hell, how they were reacting to the whole thing, none of them were making fun of me or brushing it all off.They were accepting it, and feeling the same feelings I was feeling.I was letting them in, and they were coming along for the ride.

 

"Where is the bastard?" Diablo asked in a low growl, looking down at his joined hands that were locked together on top of the bar.

 

"What?" I asked, sniffling away a tear there.

 

"Where is he?" He was making about my father, and how he asked me made me think that he was about to go out on a murder rampage because of what he was hearing and what was going on.Was he that affected by it, from what he heard me tell him?I didn't know how to react from it now as I shook my head.

 

"I don't know, never heard from since he called the cops," I answered, seeing him almost steaming from the whole story.I wanted to instantly regret anything that I told him, of all people since he had a stressed out life too, but he had to know that he was no monster compared to my father.Diablo was a victim of his own power, in away when he had moments that he didn't know what he was doing.But my father, he knew, and he knew and never regretted it.

 

The door opened behind us, all of us looking to see a slow walking Flag coming over to sit between Deadshot and Diablo.We were not assumed to him, hell, we have him a confused look as to why he was there as Harley was the one who spoke up what was on our minds.

 

"We don't want you here." She said to him in a rash tone, but he was looking right at Deadshot.I didn't want to be in the roomanymore, getting up from my own spot and walking out of the room and out of the way since it felt like I was suffocating.

 

"Talbert?" Deadshot asked, seeing me walk away.

 

"I need air," I said shortly as I walked out into the darkness and back out into the rain, feeling as though I could breathe.I never told anyone what happened to me, about my father and what he did to me so that feeling of a weight off my shoulder and waves of sadness over me was raw and new and it was confusing for me, not to mention scary as well.

 

I leaned against the window there out in the open and I closed my eyes, tears coming down my face.I wanted to hide, to get away from here and find someplace safe and out of this own reality that I was suffering in.I was slowly dying from all that was happening to me, and I wanted it to end.

 

Will it end?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Glad you're back in the game, Sheila. Shall we got down in a blaze of glory?" he asked me as I smirked at him.
> 
> "How else would I go out?" I replied, hearing him chuckle now as I was getting back into my groove. Who knew where I was going to end up, who my life was going to look when the sun came up, and if I was ever going to have some kind of family again. But with this group of misfits, all walkie together with our own baggage and guilt hanging over us like rain clouds, it was better than being alone I guess.

**5 Years Ago.**

It was a nightmare, a complete nightmare as they were placing the cuffs on me and walking me out of the dorms and into the cop car.It was late in the night, someone coming into my dorm and asking me for my name before they threw on the cuffs around my wrists and walked me out, telling me my Miranda Rights since it was courteous enough.But I knew what they were doing, I had some kind of made idea the weren't looking at me in the eye or walking a wee bit away from me.

 

The police car lights were blazing in front of me as a crowd was forming outside, seeing me being escorted into the back of the police car and not saying a word.I was thinking about my mother, where she was and if she knew what was happening to me in this moment.But how could she know, they weren't going to tell her anything about me being gone, they might cover it up.They ducked my head down as I was sitting in the backseat and I heard door closed, letting it sink in. 

 

I was like the rest of the metahumans: I was being rounded up.

 

* * *

 

**Present Day**

 

The rain finally died down and I moved my hair away from my eyes, breathing in the cold air that the rain brought in and seeing the glow of the street lights in the darkness of the city.I should just walk away from this whole thing now, get back to the prison and just call it quits.It didn't feel worth it at this point, not with what I went through and how I was unfolding myself with the villains back there in the bar.They didn't hate me, or ignore me when I told them, which mad me wonder how they really felt about me.They accepted me to fight with them, sure, and they seemed to like me.

 

But was that about it?

 

The doors opened, having me look over around the corner to see them all coming out, on by one now and back over to the main street there.They all saw me, and they were all giving me short smiles there as Diablo was the last one out of the bar.Something shifted in all of them, a new sense of a light was filling time to keep going compared to before when we were just done playing these games. 

 

"I'll talk to her, guys," Diablo reassured them, Harley nodded her head with a grin as the others walked up, following Flag out there on the street with a few of his SEAL's that were left over. Diablo walked over to me now as I shoved my hands in my pockets and I eyed him, wondering what he was going to say to me then.

 

"I don't belong here," I said to him before he could say anything else, "I'm a bad guy, and I don't have anything else to fight for."

 

"I don't think that's true," He advised me, close enough for me to hear the softness there in his voice as I was eyeing him to see what he was going to tell me, "After what I heard what happened to you, I think you do belong here with us.Takes a lot for someone to stick around and still stay sane after what happened to you, for what he did to you."

 

"I did it for my mother, not for myself," I reminded him, seeing him lookbit agitated when my father was brought into the conversation, "He could try and hurt me all he wanted, I could take the pain, it's was just the stuff he would do to my mother that killed me in the end,"He stayed quiet then, looking back at the group that was still walking and then shifting a bit in his stance.

 

"We want you here, you know?" He asked me, having me look at him in confusion.

 

"Why?"I asked, thinking that I had to head it seem one of them, even if it was Diablo.

 

"Because you don't see us as the bad guys,"He made it sound so simple, having me stay quiet there as he then reached out his hand for me, the tattoos there on his hand were glistening a bit on the skin from the rain and I looked down at it.He wanted me to go with them, to at least ride out this mission in glory and see if we could do some kind of good in this situation.Just like was Deadshot said in the bar.

 

I took his hand, the both of us holding hands there in silence now as I could feel the warmth of his skin against my own skin, cool from the rain but warm from the temperature.It felt almost calmly and soothing now as I saw him giving me a warm look, a small smile there and I smiled slightly back.I then knew that he was no monster, that what happened to him was a mere act of his powers, not from himself, and he had more of a heart than he was willing to show and share.Was he afraid to show it?Afraid of losing his heart again like he did before with his family?

 

Was that going to be me?

 

* * *

 

I walked with Diablo over to the rest of the group to catch up now on the street, Harley looking behindto see me there next to Diablo and she winked at me before looking ahead again.Boomerang grinned as I was catching up walk alongside him and Croc.

 

"Glad you're back in the game, Sheila.Shall we got down in a blaze of glory?" he asked me as I smirked at him.

 

"How else would I go out?" I replied, hearing him chuckle now as I was getting back into my groove.Who knew where I was going to end up, who my life was going to look when the sun came up, and if I was ever going to have some kind of family again.But with this group of misfits, all walkie together with our own baggage and guilt hanging over us like rain clouds, it was better than being alone I guess.

 

I had another family.

* * *

 

 

Boomerang threw out one of his devices and it spun away, looking back at the mobile phone there as Flag and Deadshot did the same.Harley, Croc, Diablo and I were standing in the back, I was mostly trying to get my energy back in tune now since I felt like I was going to be using a lot of it in the next part of this mission. 

 

"We need to take out the big one," Deadshot said now as Flag agreed, thinking to himself now as I was closing my eyes and breathing in and now, over and over now with Diablo standing a bit close to me.

 

"You good?" He asked me, having me shake my head since it felt like nothing was worn to have me get the adrenaline back in my system again to get my metahuman part into shape again.

 

"I don't think I can do it," I said to him in a huff, "My energy's too low, I need some kind of boost."

 

"What kind of boost?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned about it as I was thinking in my head in the past and how I made it better with my ability.

 

"I need a rush, almost like a shot in the adrenaline to make it work," I explained, thinking that I had no adrenaline left in me and it was not going to be a pretty fight if I wasn't up to my best.

 

"Need to punch something in the face?Kiss someone? Or how about you go and punch a wall?I know how much you wanna punch Boomerang in the face," Harley suggested as I eyed her and I saw him winking at me, motioning with her head at Diablo now with her wicked grin. Was she suggesting something?I didn't know what, but I knew it was something along the lines of the both of us together. 

 

She wasn't going to give up that dream anytime soon. 

 

* * *

 

We were waiting there in what looked like the lobby that would lead to the subway that was overflowed with waterThe SEAL's along with Croc were getting ready for their part of the plan as we were waiting and prepping ourselves.Some of us were prepping really, Boomerang was sharpening his weapons and Deadshot was making sure his guns were loaded and safe.I was flexing my diamond formed arm and legs to make sure that the were feeling good and loose now, getting my mind cleared but hearing something in the background.It made me look to see Katana talking to her sword and she was speaking in her native language.

 

"The man who killed her husband used that sword.His soul's trapped inside of it.She talks to him." Flag explained as some of the others were listening to him and I was watching her talk to the sword, almost weeping now as she was speaking so softly and with feeling.

 

"Yeah, well you know what they say about the crazy ones," Boomerang replied in his amused tone.Harley looked over at him with her own innocent face.

 

"Huh?" She asked and some of the others were smiling. I looked back to my diamond formed arms and legs.I had to think of something, get something flowing in my head as adrenaline in order to make sure I was ready enough to go in and not get in trouble with my ability.I thought about my father, how much I hated him and wanted to hurt him so and that it was bringing me rage from the inside out.The scar on my face, the shame he made me feel.

 

"Shit," I opened my eyes and I saw something on the floor, sticking out and poking out like it was prickly grass.But it wasn't grass, no, it was something else.They were small diamonds, looking odd from being stuck there on the floor there near my feet and I saw Diablo, who was sitting at the top of the escalator, looking down in shock too.

 

Did that come from me?

 

"What the hell?" I asked to myself, holding up my hands to see if it was true.It was, the palm of both of my hands were bumpy like something was sticking to the up and not letting me go.Those came from me, from the inside of me and out from my hands?I was shocked, that never happened to me before.Most of the time when I used my ability, I was calm and in control. This was a first that it felt so raw and uncontrolled that something like that was thrown out.

 

"Looks like you found your niche, doll face," Harley said in a low manner as she saw too, having me squat down and touch one of the diamonds that was sticking out.I threw it out, all from what I was feeling and what was controlling me and holding me down.

 

Was my father the trigger?

 

"Let's do this," Flag said to us, and we each followed him one by one now over to where he was leading us, back another way into the subway station. 

* * *

 

 

I was in the middle as we walked down the stairs and into the darkness of the abandoned station, having me see all the raw materials that were sticking out and around the colors, hanging in the air from the floor, or already consuming some of the corpses that were on the ground.I wanted to know now what we were really dealing it, how powerful it was, and if we stood a single chance at it.No one said a word, we were watching the hold thing in front of us as Flag took us to one of the stairs that would lead up to our eventual battle with whatever being could be there.

 

"You gonna fight with us?" Deadshot asked Diablo in front of me.

 

"What if I lose control?" Diablo asked back.

 

"The maybe we'll have a chance," Deadshot replied as we ascended the stairs. 

 

Everything was illuminated by the glowing light as we were on the balcony, something was moving around and looking sinister in the air as we reached the side of the large room near the columns.It was sounding sinister too, like bad energy swirling and twisting into the sky as we were moving along, trying not to be seen at all now.

 

"Duck in," Flag whispered to us as we moved to hide behind the columns, down in a row.Flagg with Deadshot, Harley, myselfand Diablo, then Katana and Boomerang as I looked around the corner briefly to see something mystical, some kind of person really with light flowing out of her and massive soldiers on either side of her guarding her as she worked.The noise sounded like lightning and thunder all around, the light itself seemed blue and purple.It was all both memorizing and terrifying at the same time. 

 

"Hey, everyone can see all this truly, magic stuff, right?" Harley asked the group in hesitance.

 

"Yeah.Why?" Deadshot asked.

 

"I'm off my meds." She said in a dry chuckle as I was looking forward again, thinking of how we were going to battle whatever she was, or it was.

 

"So that's your old lady huh?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Well, you need to handle this shit, all right?Get up there, smack on her ass, tell her, ‘knock this shit off'." Deadshot explained to Flag.

 

"I do not think that'd be wise.I'm gonna draw out the big one, my boys will detonate the bomb underneath him." Flag advised him now before we heard another voice fill the room, a delicate yet booming voice now as it was loud and entrancing at the same time. 

 

"I've been waiting for you all night.Step out of the shadows, I will not bite."

 

We all looked at each other now, Diablo shaking his head slowly and I did the same since it felt like a terrible idea.Harley scoffed a bit and she started to walk out, Deadshot grabbing her before she could do anything else and she was now sandwiched between Flag and Deadshot.

 

"Why are you here?Because the soldier lead you, and all for Waller.Why do you serve those who cage you? I am your ally.And I know what you want.Exactly what you want."

 

Then my vision went black.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Diablo, get him in the corner, now!" 
> 
> Diablo pushed him back to the corner, reaching into its chest and grabbing something like he was squishing his heart. I could hear the others egging him on, to finish that monster and to finish this whole thing since it was up to him. But he lost his footing and the being grabbed him around his throat and threw him down, having him go back to his normal human form now as he was trying to break the mold. 
> 
> This was not good, he was about to get killed if he didn't move. I couldn't let that happen, not to him. He had another chance to make things right, I knew he did and he wanted it more than anything. I didn't want him to die, I was going to forbid it.

_It was like I was back at home, back to a normal life._

 

_I could hear my mother at the piano, playing another jazz tune there and moving her fingers along the key as I walked through, seeing a smile there on her face as the humid summer wind came through the open windows of the living room.It was my childhood house, lighter and with trained views of shame, pain or anger.Everything looked pleasant, along hazy at the same time as I was walking over to the kitchen, hearing someone in there humming away and working on what would have looked like dinner._

 

_Turning the corner, I saw it was someone there who was the same, and yet looked different.He was a tall young man, a bit older than me with short brown hair that was buzzed. tan skin and a glow to it.He was working away on what looked like a salad, a small smile on his lips as he was wearing a long sleeve shirt and fitted jeans and sneaker.For some reason, he reminded me of those Louisiana boys from the Fraternities that were filled with yuppies and high society money.But he looked familiar, way too familiar as I grinned from ear to ear now and he looked over at me.Those warm brown eyes, reminded me of chocolate and trees, I knew who it was._

 

_It was Diablo, but he looked….so normal and clean._

 

_"Hello beautiful," He said in his tone, the same one that the old Diablo had as he walked over, leaving the salad behind and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close and I hugged him back.What was going on?Was this a dream or a nightmare?Why was I not in control of this?I felt like I was snuggling into him.Was this something that I wanted._

 

_A normal life with a normal Diablo?_

 

_"Hello sweetheart," I looked to hear another voice, I voice that I haven't heard in year and I thought I would never hear again, I poked my head from being near Diablo's chest as I saw someone's backside and they were approaching my mother at the piano, kissing her cheek and having me hear her giggle now as he then looked over at me.I was wide-eyed now as someone was calling out my name in the distance, telling me that something wasn't real.But I was staring at him._

 

_My father, grinning at me from ear to ear._

 

_"Hello, Rose.How are you my darling?"_

 

* * *

 

 _"_ It's not real!Wake up!"

 

I felt his hands on my arms, shaking me slightly.It was having me snap awake and realize that I was back in the subway station, the darkness was all over me and the noise was getting louder and louder.Diablo was in front of me, the old Diablo that I knew with the tattoos and his warm eyes, and he was watching me as I was blinking a few more times.

 

"It's not real _Diamante_." He said to me, having me breathe out slowly as he then released me and walked over to Harley, Flag, and Deadshot.

 

"It's not real," He told the three of them.

 

"I killed the Bat," Deadshot said to him in a monotone.

 

"Nah, homie.You don't want that," Diablo reasoned with him.

 

"What?I want that." Harley said too, having me see that she too was snapping out of it, whatever it was that we were experiencing. 

 

"She trying to play games with you, man.It's not real!"He explained, pointing to his head as the three of them were realizing what was going on, and so was I.That Witch was making us hallucinate and think of things that were no longer real and was not possible on being real.My father loving me, a normal Diablo loving me, and my mother being completely healthy again.None of that was real and it wasn't going to be in the future.He saw through it.

 

"He's right, It's not real," Flag said in a bitter manner now and I was feeling the fuel of hate towards this with now all over.How dare she try to think that she could fix something that was beyond damage, to bring something back that I wanted but I knew I could never have.That was the straw on the cell's back for me, and before I could think I was already walking towards her with a pep in my step and anger there in my stance and face.She was not going to play with me, and I was over having that past ruin my life.

 

Diablo walked up behind me, along with the rest of the group as we were approaching her now in the middle of the room.

 

"How long have been able to see?" The witch asked Diablo, whom stood next to me and was not moving at all.

 

"My whole life," He replied confidently, my diamond form already morphing over my body starting at my chest and it was seeping all over through and through, "You can't have them.These are my people right here."

 

"But it is our time.The sun is setting, and the magic rises.The metahumans are a sign of change," She explained to all of us, but none of us moved and I could see the heat coming off of Diablo now as I went into full diamond form.I stood a ready stance there as Deadshot pointed at her.

 

"Lady, you are evil!" He said in a proclamation as she then turned to something in the darkness back there, talking in some kind of native language and we all looked to see what it was.A larger form, the big one that we were afraid off, walking over from the side of the station.It was way taller than any of us, looking fierce and ancient with almost a human face, but it was warped. This was beyond trouble.

 

"Oh wow,"

 

"Uh-oh." Harley wanted as we were watching with wide eyes.

 

"Who's this?!" Boomerang asked as the being descended down the stairs.I took a few steps back, near Diablo now as I was thinking of how I was going to fight this thing, hell how we all were going to fight this thing. 

 

"It's gonna be bad!"

 

"We should run!" Deadshot warned as Flag lifted his gun and open fired.It didn't do a damn thing now as the being shot out something close to vines and fire out of his hands, at right us as we all ducked out of the way in order to not get hit.Deadshot and flag hid behind one pillar as the being shot out at them, then going after Katana and Boomerang on the other side. 

 

"GQ come in we're in position," Flag said into his com piece as Boomerang threw his weapon, but it bounced off the beam and lit on fire.I saw the being looking over in my direction now, throwing out a fired vine at me and I felt him sweep me over to the pillar and I hit hard, not in real pain but it knocked me good as I fell to the floor and shot out from diamonds at him, channeling my anger.The diamonds hit him, but it was not effective and more of an irritation than anything. 

 

"We got get him that corner, that's where the bomb will be," Flag explained to Diablo and Deadshot as I shot another wave of diamonds at him to get him over in my direction, at least to buy them time to plan something for this thing.

 

"I'll do it!I'll get him there," Diablo explained to Flag now in determination as the being was not focused on Boomerang, kicking a long wooden pew row at him to trap him in a spot against the pillar and pin him down. Before the being could touch him with a lit up hand, Katana jumped out of nowhere and swiped at his hand with her sword. But the hand grew back on his hand as I ran over to help Boomerang.

 

"Come get me!" I yelled at the being, seeing him eye me now as I threw up my hands to block anything that he could throw.

 

"Shelia, don't!" Boomerang wanted as the being threw out a fiery vine, but the dominos shooting out of my hand blocked them and shredded some of them to pieces.I felt myself being pushed back by the force against the pew that Boomerang was stuck under, but I wasn’t going to give up that easily.

 

"I lost one family.I ain't gonna lose another one!"

 

"Think it through."

 

"I got this.Let me show you what I really am." I could hear Diablo and Deadshot talking to each other in the corner as I then lost a small grip and one of the vines got me around the neck, blocking me from my breathing now as the being was lifting me up in the air, strangling me high up and I was trying to breathe.The force of his vice grip on me was enough for my diamond form to start cracking, having me trying to wrestle myself out of it now and feeling my head get light and fuzzy.I was about to loose my life there.

 

" _Diamante_!" Diablo screamed out as he ran over and threw out his hands at the being, "Over here!"His flames bit the being hard, engulfing me as well but I wasn't feeling it because of my diamond form.The grip on me loosened from the assault from Diablo as I fell to the floor in a heap and tried to breathe, my diamond form going back to human now since the damage on me was severe.I coughed fit, stuck there on the floor as Diablo was fighting off the being there on his own. 

 

"I got ya!"Boomerang grabbed my vest with his hands and pulled me back away from the fight as I saw DIalbo getting kicked and flowed back into what looked like an office.I panicked, but out ofbreath but still panicking as I saw this, thinking that he was doing for.Deadshot and Harley went after the being, but they were tossed aside like they were puppets and I felt like I was the only one left that had some kind of fighting chance with that thing to take it down.

 

Then I heard it, a Roar.

 

Boomerang helped me up and I stood with him and Harley from the sound. We all looked to seeing some sort of another being, this one file with fire and rage coming from the same place that Diablo was sent to.It was taller and looked like a skeleton with a headpiece of fire and a fierceness to him.I looked in amazement as we all knew who it was.

 

Diablo.

 

They were sparring each other, the rest of us not being able to do anything but watch in amazement and horror as one took a swing at the other, the other was trying to dodge it.They both were powerful and they both almost the apprehend, it was just a matter or who was going to win now as Flag spoke up finally.

 

"Diablo, get him in the corner, now!" 

 

Diablo pushed him back to the corner, reaching into its chest and grabbing something like he was squishing his heart.I could hear the others egging him on, to finish that monster and to finish this whole thing since it was up to him.But he lost his footing and the being grabbed him around his throat and threw him down, having him go back to his normal human form now as he was trying to break the mold. 

 

This was not good, he was about to get killed if he didn't move.I couldn't let that happen, not to him.He had another chance to make things right, I knew he did and he wanted it more than anything.I didn't want him to die, I was going to forbid it.

 

"Diablo, get clear!Get outta there!" Flagg yelled at him.

 

"Blow it!" Diablo yelled at Flag with his fire eyes, his voice sounding so booming now as he said this.The rest of us looked at him now, thinking that he wasn't going to do it, praying that he didn't.I panicked looking back at Diablo once more and seen him lock eyes with me now, seeing that pain there as we looked at each other.I couldn't do it, I couldn't see this now and I felt like I had to protect him, even with my own life in the balance.I felt my diamond form coming over me without me really doing it, it was acting on its own now as I was still watching him.

 

"Blow it," Deadshot said to Flag.

 

"Now, GQ, now," he said mournfully as I decided to run, run towards Diablo and not think about it.He had to be saved, he had to live. 

 

"NO!" Harley screamed at him,

 

"Everybody down!" Flag yelled, but he was seeing me run out there at a fast pace as I threw out my hands in tow different place.One was at Diablo, the other at the being's hand.Diamond's struck the behind's hands. releasing his group on Diablo's throat and making him free.Then diamond struck out at Diablo, pushing him out for the way and having him slide over for me to run over in his place.

 

"HIT ME!" I screamed at the being now as I threw my hands at him.

 

"TALBERT!" Deadshot yelled at I aimed one more hand at the being and shot out some more before I felt everything, and saw everything go black.

 

"NO!" Diablo screamed.

 

I was hit, and it felt like I was falling.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I got you, open your eyes for me. Please, Diamante, please wake up for me." He sounded so sad and desperate, and I wondered for a split second as to why he would fret over someone like me. I knew what I did, acting on a selfless act if someone wanted to see it as Selfless. But other could see it as selfish, not understanding why I did what I did. But I knew he needed another chance at life, all of them did, which was why they were doing this in the first place. Get time off their sentences and then go out. 
> 
> As for me, my time was already ending.

I could hear my mother, the hymns she used to sing when I was younger to calm me down and help me from the nightmares that I would.Her sweet voice filled my head, almost calming down the ache that I was feeling over my body.But I didn't know where I was if I was still alive or dead, and where the others were.

 

What happened to me?

 

"No. no no no please no…please wake up.Don't do this, come on."

 

I could hear his voice, sounding so desperate and so concerning for me as I was still out of it and unconscious, once again hearing my mothers' singing in my ear and feeling as though I was about to drift into heaven.It felt like I was, something or someone pulling me up by my shoulders and arms, the feeling of being pressed into something warm and comforting, and then hearing other voices that were close and yet so far away.

 

"Is she alive?"

 

"I think she's still breathing.

 

"We need to finish this, finish off that bitch once and for all!"

 

"Diablo, stay with her and stay out of sight!"

 

I could see him in my head, how his eyes looked compared to the rest of the world and how his eyes made me feel safe.It was odd for me to feel like this to someone like Diablo, and it hadn't been feeling like that inside of me in a long time.I wondered who it happen or why it did, or even if it was left up to fate to something else.Who knew?I didn't, but I was more occupied with the fact that I was in limbo with life or death.

 

"I got you, open your eyes for me.Please, _Diamante_ , please wake up for me."He sounded so sad and desperate, and I wondered for a split second as to why he would fret over someone like me.I knew what I did, acting on a selfless act if someone wanted to see it as Selfless. But other could see it as selfish, not understanding why I did what I did.But I knew he needed another chance at life, all of them did, which was why they were doing this in the first place.Get time off their sentences and then go out. 

 

As for me, my time was already ending.

 

 

* * *

 

I woke up in what looked like a medical wing, three of the walls were concrete and blank with at least one monitor that had what looked like my X-Ray of my chest and arms.The other wall and a large window that filled the whole wall from top to bottom, having me see outside a hallway that also had concrete walls. I blinked, my eyes were feeling heavy andmy whole body was aching all around.My arms were bandaged up, along with my hands there and one of my hands was handcuffed to the railing of my bed.Well, that's reassuring I guess.

 

But where was I really?

 

My heart monitor was beeping nice and slow, the smell of medicine and disaffected tools were filling my nostrils and I was getting some of the pieces placed together in my head now as I was looking up and around to get some kind of clue as to where I was.But it was about to be answered when I looked over to see the door opening and none other than Amanda Waller, along with a doctor with a file in his hand, coming in.I looked at Waller in shock, how was it that she was alive?I didn't know what to think of her at this point, since the last time I saw her physically she tried to get Harley killed.So why was she here in the first place, wherever here was.

 

"How are you feeling, Rose?" She asked me, calmly, having me look at her in confusion as the Doctor walked over to the foot of my bed and grabbed my binder there to look at.

 

"Fine…" I trailed off, seeing her nod her head shortly before motioning to the Doctor.

 

"If you're still feeling out of it and heavy in the head, the Doctor didn't know why much pain killers to give you since you have a high tolerance for pain," She explained, making me look at the Doctor now as he looked at my information up and down.

 

"You suffered from heavy trauma from the explosion, a few fractured bones here and there along the forearms, they could have been shattered if it wasn't for your ability.But for now, you have fabric casts on both wrists for a few weeks.nothing vital happened to your organs, which was lucky save to say the very least, and you had a concussion as well.All in all, better than what we hoped.In a few days, you're free to go," He explained to both me and Amanda Waller.

 

"Thank you, Doctor James.Can I have a moment alone with her please before you give her more treatment?" She asked him, seeing him then nod and walk out of the room with a small close of the door.I was left there alone with Amanda now, seeing her watch me carefully and keeping a good distance there between us as I was giving her some kind of stare,I didn't know what kind, but it was enough for her to start talking.

 

"I assume you have plenty of questions for me," She said to me, shifting a bit in her spot and I nodded my head slowly.

 

"I'll start with an obvious one:Why would I have you be on this mission when I had a good hunch it would fail." She said to me calmly now as she tapped her finger on my file, having me watch her as she went on, "I read up on you, all that happened to you and your family.After what your father did, turning you in for some money in his pocket, I would think that you were someone who just wanted to die and get it over it."

 

"That's partially true," I added in a grimace.

 

"But I think I found the opposite in you when I saw you on the roof with the others, how you were fighting with them and helping him.I underestimated you, Rose Talbert.And a deal's a deal: you get your freedom." She said to me now as I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.That lead to another question that I had on my mind.

 

"What's going to happen to me when I leave the prison?I'm a metahuman, they'll arrest me as soon as they find out and they'll send me back here."I reminded her, knowing that it could be a case with me since I didn't do any kind of crime to be placed here in the prison.It was my DNA that they were afraid off, not my character.

 

"I'll make sure that it did not happen to you from this point on.You'll be under my care and watchful.As long as your keep a clean record, you'll have no trouble with the police when it comes to you being a metahuman." She explained.

 

"You have that kind of power?"I asked in a bit of shock.

 

"A lot of people tend to forget how much power I do have, and that is one of them," She replied, having me sigh and rethink that whole thing in my head.

 

"So…then that means if I'm going to be working for you and not get in trouble…then I won't be arrested again?" I asked, making sure it was clear enough in my own head.She nodded her head slowly, having me sigh in relief then.It was better than nothing, much better than nothing and looking over my back constantly on rotation. 

 

"I can live with that," I stated.

 

"Good, I'll keep you in close contact in case the team does need you in the near future," She agreed.

 

"You're still going to use them?" I asked in confusion.

 

"Of course.They each got 10 years off their sentences, but they're not completely off the hook.I still have their bombs in their necks," It made me freeze up and reach up slowly to where I knew they placed mine.Before I could even touch the skin there under my ear, Amanda spoke up finally.

 

"We took yours out while you were unconscious and you were brought in here," She explained as I felt a small gaze there along my skin, a tender spot where I squinted and I looked at her in shock.

 

"No bomb in me?" I asked plainly.

 

"Nope.You're no longer a prisoner so I don't need to have that insurance hanging over you," She answered, which was another thing lifted off my chest now as I laid there on the hospital bed, my head already feeling a bit heavy from the drugs that were still lingering inside of me.

 

"I have one more piece of information to give you before I let the doctor come back in and check up on you," She explained to me now as she then handed me a heavy envelope, something inside that seemed like a bunch of folded up papers as I took them in my hand gently without hurting my hands.

 

"What's this?" I asked her, about to open the top of the envelope when she answered.

 

"It's information on your father."

 

 

There was a light tap on the door, having me look away from the wall that I was at and over to where the big window was, seeing familiar faces that were grinning at me from ear to ear, though they were handcuffed and back in their orange prison clothes.

 

My Suicide Squad.

 

They filed in, one by one and they looked happy to see me there, not even mad that they were back in prison.Harley's face was beaming, Boomerang's grin was genuine and kind, Deadshot had a smirk on his face, and Croc growled in content there.The only person that was not there, that saddened my heart a bit, was Diablo himself.Where was he?Was he already in trouble? 

 

Did he get hurt, like me?

 

"Look who's up and lookin' as fresh as a daisy!" Harley chirped at me now as she grinned with her orange just on and her here in what looked like rollers.

 

"We were worried about ya, Sheila," Boomerang said to me with his cheeky toothy smile.I looked at each of them now, since I blacked out and the last half of the whole fight.

 

"What happened back there?" I asked them quietly, wanting to hear it for them and no one else since they were there.

 

"After you stalled that big ass of a thing, the bomb went off.You were in it, and we thought you were toast and done for," Deadshot explained in his serious tone now as he loved a bit to stand over near me, "Diablo stayed behind with you, and we took out the Witch once and for all."

 

"That bitch is long gone," Croc said in agreement.

 

"No one got hurt, though, did they?" I asked them all in wonder as they were still drinking it in too.

 

"Naw, we were just fine, dearie.We were more worried about ya, though," Boomerang said to me softly.

 

"You gave us a scare," Harley added, "We all thought you were a goner, for sure we did for a split second."

 

"That's a nice thing to say to her while she's in the bed, Harley," Boomerang said in almost a scolding manner.

 

"What?Ain't I speakin' the truth?" She asked him back, then looking at me "The only one that knew you were alive was Diablo.Hell, he never left your side, not once until we were picked up and brought back here."

 

"Had to rip him away from you so you can get over to medical," Deadshot added to the story, "He almost burned the whole place down from being away from you."

 

"Told ya," Harley said to me with a smirk, winking at me once again now as I was giving her an angry look of annoyance since I knew what she was talking about.

 

"Told her what, shorty?" Croc asked in crusty.

 

"Nothing," I replied shortly, taking a deep breath before looking at Deadshot now, "Where's Diablo now?"

 

"Back in his tank," Boomerang answered for him, having me look over at him in sadness, "He wanted to come out, he really did.But he didn't think he wanted you to see him all worked up."

 

"He has to cool down honey before he can grace you with his response," Harley said in a softer tone now as she could see the distress on my face.I nodded in agreement with that, I would rather have him rational than heated in emotion.He needed to collect himself, as did I in the host pail bed.

 

"So apparently, Waller's letting me work with you guys, though I'm a free metahuman," I informed them, seeing them grin at me now from hearing the news that I wasn't going to be gone forever.I wonder dhow they were going to react to the news, and now they were grinning from ear to ear as if they were never in prison in the first place.

 

"Well shit, we get to see you work some more of that magic?" Boomerang asked in glee as Croc chuckled.

 

"I like seeing that shit," He agreed with Boomerang, Harley winking at me and Deadshot just smiling.It didn't feel too and after all, with what I did and how I handled it.I thought it would be worse, but it ended up much different than I imagine.

 

My future was getting a wee bit brighter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You all have another chance, to be different people that before when you first came in here. You can have your redemption, and I didn't want you to just throw it away thinking that you didn't." I explained to him boldly, seeing him watch me and not say a word now asI pointed to myself now with the hand that wasn't cuffed to the bed, "I couldn't let you do that when I knew that you were going to be a better person with a better future, that would have killed me from the inside out." I felt like I was almost gushing out my feelings towards the guy before I could think about it. It was true, though, I saw his future looking brighter than the others since he knew how t take care of himself, he knew that he wasn't going to be and forever. Not that the others were terrible, but Diablo was no innocent and kind hearted than he would care to admit.

The door opened, having me move the envelope away from my spot on my lap now as I saw one of the guard poking his head in at me.It's late into the evening, and after having another long nap from the drug that they gave me, I was staying up a bit to get some reading down on my father, or what kind of reading that I wanted to be done.Waller had apparently left all of this information away from me, something was but surprised and unsurprised at the same time.Still, it wasn't my trust issues with herand what she already pulled on me in the past when it came to working for her.

 

"You have a visitor, is that okay?" The guard asked me, having me nod my head now.

 

"Usually visiting hours are closed, but Waller said this is an exception to that rule, whatever the hell that means," He explained, opening the door and having me look over to see who he was talking about.I saw another guard, rifle out and ready, walking first, then it was the person that I wanted to see since I woke up in the medical wing of the prison.

 

Diablo. 

 

He looked into the window, seeing me there in the hospital bed and I saw his eyes going wide slightly, his hands were handcuffed in front of himself now as the guard escorted him into the room now.He looked the same, a bit on the rougher around the edges and back in his orange uniform now as I watched him with a small smile there on my lips.He stood there awkwardly as the first guard looked over at me.

 

"We'll leave one guard in here, just in case," He reassured me, having me now raise an eyebrow as him since Diablo was looking at him the wrong way.

 

"You think he's gonna fry me up here and now?" I asked him coldly, the guard pausing and looking at the other now in a wonder of what he should do.Diablo stayed quiet, looking at me as if he was silently asking me if he should torch them both.I shook my head at him now as the first road spoke up again.

 

"We'll give you some privacy then," he said to me calmly, the both of them walking out of the door now and closing it behind them.I was now there alone with Diablo, the both of us staring at each other and saying nothing at first.What was there to say?What did he want to tell me, about what happened in the past? 

 

"You look okay," I said to him, though that sounded more awkward than anything now as he eyed me up and down.I wanted to know what he was thinking, what was going on in his head.

 

"You look alive," He replied back smoothly, not wanting it to sound mean or cruel, but more of a fact than anything.I felt like he was about to scold me for what I did, scarfing my own self for him. I was ready for it since for some it was a heroic move, but others it was stupid and selfish.Which one was he?

 

"I'm glad you came," I voiced to him, wanting him to feel better about this whole situation.He shifted a bit then, thinking to himself.I wanted to know what he was thinking, it felt like I was hanging on pins and needles.

 

"I wanted to come earlier, you know?But I was still.." he trailed off, trying to find the right word for it as I finished the thought for him.

 

"Worked up?" I asked, seeing him looking at me in a shifty manner as I nodded my head, "Yeah. the others told me that they saw me earlier." 

 

"Why did you do it?" He asked at a fast rate now, having me go silent as he said that to me with a bit of emotion there in his tone and how his eyes had the emotion too, "Why did you do that back there, almost getting yourself killed."

 

"Diablo…" I said to him, trying to find my own set of right words.

 

"No, ain't no excuse for something like that in my opinion.You shouldn't have done that," He said to me in almost a scolding now as I felt myself getting a bit defensive in how he was taking it.

 

"Done what, trying to protecting you?" I asked him back in almost a bold manner, seeing him shake his head from my explanation.

 

"I don't need no protection," He argued, his hand making fists in front of him in the cuffs.

 

"Like hell you don't," I said back to him now, keeping my voice done since I knew the guards were waiting outside in case something was about to go bad. 

 

"What are you talkin' about?" He asked me, looking at me now in confusion instead of anger as I eyed him carefully.

 

"You all have another chance, to be different people that before when you first came in here. You can have your redemption, and I didn't want you to just throw it away thinking that you didn't." I explained to him boldly, seeing him watch me and not say a word now asI pointed to myself now with the hand that wasn't cuffed to the bed, "I couldn't let you do that when I knew that you were going to be a better person with a better future, that would have killed me from the inside out."I felt like I was almost gushing out my feelings towards the guy before I could think about it.It was true, though, I saw his future looking brighter than the others since he knew how t take care of himself, he knew that he wasn't going to be and forever.Not that the others were terrible, but Diablo was no innocent and kind hearted than he would care to admit.

 

"You didn't see a future for yourself?" He asked me calmly now as I was watching him look at me I intrigue, to see how he looked more broken from what I told him about myself in in comparison to him.I looked down at my lap there and I shook my head.

 

"I was fine with dying," I mumbled to him, but mostly to myself now as I was thinking about it.It sounded so depressing, so sad for me to voice it out loud to him, I didn't even say that to the others at all.He was only one that knew how I felt about myself, which was a scary thing to think about and to comprehend.

 

"Well, I wasn't." I looked up at him in almost a shocking manner as I saw him watching me with his soulful eyes, walking over a bit towards me and I saw the emotion there on his face, "I wasn't okay with you dying back there.You scared me real bad, you know?"

 

"I know I did," I replied softly, seeing him look down at his now cuffed hands and I could see them trembling a bit now, his hands were shaking.

 

"She died in my arms," He said almost in a broken manner, having me watch him with the pain in his face that he was trying to cover up, "She was right there in my arms and I couldn't save her….it almost happened to you too."

 

"But I didn't."

 

"You could have," Diablo shot back at me like he was trying to shoot me down in shame now as I cocked my head at him.

 

"Why doesn't it matter anyhow, none of the others would have cared—"

 

"I do!I care!"He roared at me now, someone from outside burst in thinking that he was about to snap.I saw the guard was about to aim his gun at Diablo now, who stayed so still the whole time as I shook my head at him, silently telling the guard to not do to and leave him.The guard stayed for a solid second or two before he moved back to be outside the room again, having me sigh in relief now as I looked back to Diablo.

 

"Why….why didn't you tell me?" I asked him in a soft manner, thinking that he just literally told me that he cared me, as more than a friend maybe.That's never happened to me before, someone saying something like that to me.It scared me, but also moved me as well.

 

"I was scared to," He replied almost sheepishly, shuffling his hands in the handcuffs there, "Didn't think you would look at me that way either."

 

"Well, you compared to Boomerang or Deadshot for that matter?" I asked almost dryly now, seeing him look up at me carefully now as I shrugged my shoulders at him, "I care about you too.It's why I did what I did,"

 

He said nothing now as I felt like I should do something that would do that I did care about it, that we were on the mutual ground.I then moved over a bit to give him some room near my bed, motioning to the chair that was next to the ground in the corner.

 

"Come sit with me," I urged him gently now as he looked at the chair.I kept my smile on him to show that I meant no harm to him.He walked over time, his handcuffs clinking along as he grabbed the chair carefully with the small amount of grab that he had and he pulled it over to sit next to me, looking a bit uncomfortable there as I reached over to grab his hand there and feeling him lace our fingers together without hesitation there.Once our skins touched, he flinched slightly, but he held my hand there and I felt the great sensation of warmth from his skin. 

 

"Waller showed me something earlier today when I woke up," I said to him carefully, seeing him just stare at our joined hands and there was a small sense of peace on his face then, just from holding hands.Such a simple act from one person to another can bring such a huge sensation of peace to any kind of situation.I felt it before when we were in Midway City after he talked me into staying with the group, and now I was returning the favor. 

 

"What'd she give you?" He asked in his usual gruff tone, having me grimace a bit as I was about to show him another small effort in my past.I reached with my spare hand that was still cuffed to the thick envelope that I moved behind my pillow and I placed it there in my lap, seeing his eyes move away from our joined hands and over to the object, a knitted brow on his face.

 

"What is it?" He asked, looking at me now as I watched him, biting my lip.

 

"Open it," I said to him clammily, watching him slowly move his spare hand, along with our joined hands, over to the envelope and he released our hands there.I watched him opening it up, the anxiety in me was showing as he pulled out some of the documents there and read through them carefully now. 

 

"He's now in the maximum security prison out in Florida," I explained to him as he was looking through some of the papers there and looking a bit agitated about it, maybe knowing about what I told him back in the bar some time earlier while we were on our mission. 

 

"What'd he do?" Diablo asked, his voice was low now since we were on a subject that he didn't approve of, to begin with.

 

"Got busted for drugs, and smuggling metahumans around like they were cargo," I muttered to him, seeing my father's prison file there and his mugshot there.It sickened me that she would give me something like this to look at since I was more along the lines of just letting him rot where've he was and be sent to hell. 

 

"Smuggling metahumans?" Diablo asked, not getting the gist of what that meant.

 

"He would kidnap them and sell them off to…." I trailed off, not wanting to say the rest of what it meant, having them look over a time now as I tried to find another wave of breath to get into my lungs. 

 

"Scientists and Government officials would hire people like him to grab Metahumans off the streets and….turn them in so they could have them before the police could get them," I explained slowly now as he turned another page and read some more, an odd look now as I grabbed the papers from him gently and looked down at time myself, seeing his name over and over and what he as done.All of the mental exam files, the fights he had in the past, all of them were at my fingertips and it felt wrong and sick for me to look at them.

 

"Here, let me torch them for you," He said, seeing the discomfort on my face now as he was about to light his hand there to finished it off and bring me peace, but I shook my head.

 

"Not…not yet," I reassured him, seeing him put the fire away as I folded the papers back up and placed them back in the envelope without thinking twice.Once they were all back in the envelope again, I sighed and looked over at him, seeing him reach out and take our hands together then to calm and soothe me.

 

"So, since I'm not a prisoner here anymore, does this mean I can visit?" I asked him sheepishly, wanting to change the subject as he gave me an odd look.

 

"Why would you do that?" He questioned, having me give him a raised eyebrow.

 

"Diablo, I like you and you like me.Let's just start with that and visiting you.Plus I can bring you stuff from the real world," I urged, seeing him slowly smile at me now with a sheepish smile there.

 

"Just you alone is enough for me, _Diamante_."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You don't like it out there?" He asked me through the thick glass that was there in the window, though I shook my head.
> 
> "No I do…it's just going to take some getting used to," I said, then moving my head to look at him through the window to see this face, "How are you in here?"
> 
> "It's quiet, having me in my thoughts like always," He admitted.
> 
> "Don't you want to be out in a bigger…tank?" I asked in a suggestion, seeing him grin at me from the awkward way I asked that. 
> 
> "I could if I wanted to, but I kind of like it this way, nice and small and calm," He admitted, looking at his walls now as I did the same.
> 
> "A bit quaint too if you think about it," I agreed, seeing him nod his head.
> 
> "If I had too much space I wouldn't like it." He explained, "Sometimes I hate it, not being able to move around a whole lot. Plus, I don't get a lot of people visiting me….just you."

I walked through the front door of what was going to be my new apartment.

It looked bare, but nothing I couldn't handle really since I left the prison there with my duffle bag in one hand and my other hand on the door handle. I had one kitchen, one living room that was connected to it, two bedrooms and one bathroom.

It was all mine.

Since I was released from the medical room, Waller already had a place set up for me near the prison in case she needed to get a hold of me for upcoming missions. I was reminded of my rules" as long as I stay out of trouble with the police, then I won't be sent back to prison. I agreed to that since the last thing that I would want to do is go back. But I did ask her if I could visit the others from time to time, to which she agreed.

I said goodbye to the group, each of them giving me a hug in their own special ways. Boomerang lifted me up from the ground, Croc gave me a gentle one-sided hug, Deadshot's hug was more fatherly, and Harley's was more in a squeal as she gave me from nice advice.

"Get yourself a nice drink, maybe another tattoo if ya don't want me to do it."

Diablo was the last one to hug me, wrapping both arms around me and keeping me close enough for me to just breathe him in. We were just getting things to work between the both of us since we talked about it while I was in the medical wing, I felt like we were going to take it as slow as we could, and the way I was feeling him hold me close, he was thinking that same way too.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Diamante."

I walked around the area of the room, seeing that it was brand new and nothing really tainted it in the past. It must have been some kind of perk from Waller, who was hiring me on as one of her Squad members, semi-permanently. I had a salary, which I didn't want to know where the money was coming from, and I was going to start fresh.

A new start for a new life. 

"Waller will contact you if she needs you for a new mission," I looked behind me, seeing none other thanFlagg right behind me, standing at the doorway with another one of his soldiers to escort me to my new home. I smiled and nodded at him. He still had some of the beatings from the battle there on his face, and he looked beyond worn out from what happened to him and his girlfriend, who survived the whole incident since the witch left her body. 

"Thanks, Flag," I said to him, seeing him give me short smile as he walked in a bit to look around the place too with a small smirk there on his face.

"Nice digs here for you, huh Talbert?" He asked me in amusement as I chuckled.

"Yeah, Waller knows how to take care of people she needs," I agreed with him, looking back at him and grinning at him. It felt nice being back in a similar place with hi, not long have some kind of feeling hostility or hatred. He cared about me like he did about the others, whether he wanted to admit it or not. I knew he did.

"Thanks, Flag…you know…for helping me out with all of this," I said to him, motioning to the apartment with my finger in a rotating manner. He nodded his head.

"You're welcome," He replied, "Least I could do with what you did back there at the subway…."

"Was that a thank you from you?" I asked in a teasing manner, seeing him roll his eyes, "Wow. What a shocker."

"Shut up."

 

Civilian life was harder than I thought.

For one I was jumpy, about everything and anything that was going on around me. The prison was so quiet, only a few sounds here and there that I was used to, but the city streets and the sounds of music coming through from the bars were enough to almost send me out of my own sanity. I had to get used it, and it took awhile for me to do that now.

All of the noises were new to me.

Not to mention the people,who fast paced they were going from place to place. I would watch out every once in awhile to not get hit by a car or be shoved by another person. It was odd, being outside of my element again since its' been 5 years since I was out in the real world. But this was good for me, to be able to do the things that I wanted to do, but what was I going to do anyhow? I didn't know what I liked and if I still liked it.

I started simple: flowers.

There was a florist shop down the street from my apartment, so I would get plenty of flower in vases to fill up my apartment. Sunflowers in the living room, Daffodils on the kitchen table, lavender in my bedroom new army nightstand, and roses, always roses when I could get my hands on them. They were my favorite, and they reminded me of my mother and how the smell was like her hair in the wintertime. 

I went to thrift stores for furniture, got a raggedy turntable and my hands on some records to play at night while I would teach myself how to cook. It was a content solo life that I would live, though it made me miss the prison life for time to time.

Such an odd thing to miss. 

Waller had plenty of things for me to do when it came to missions: going in and fighting off another kind of being that was around other cities and towns. So it was nice, not being bored on a Friday night home they were flying me out with some of SEAL's men to take care of something small that didn't require the whole squad. That would be rare if it was life or death and they needed the "fire" power. 

But I would visit, for Diablo's sake.

Sure, I would say hi to the others and hope things are well for them back in their regular cells and pinned off areas, but Diablo was the one that I was with the both. At first, he was mostly in his tank, and according to his guard, he would never come up to the small circle window there for visitors. I was the only time he ever did that. I didn't know if that was supposed to make me feel better, but it was nice to see him and to see him smile when I showed my face in the porthole of a window.

"It feels odd," I explained to him as I sat against the large door that was separating us, he was sitting on the other side and facing me as I went on to tell him how it was to be out in the real world, "It's almost like I'm walking through some kind of dream, out there on the streets. I'm trying to get more things to look normal around my place, lots, and lots of flowers. But like I said, everything's loud, loud and chaotic. In here it's quiet."

"You don't like it out there?" He asked me through the thick glass that was there in the window, though I shook my head.

"No I do…it's just going to take some getting used to," I said, then moving my head to look at him through the window to see this face, "How are you in here?"

"It's quiet, having me in my thoughts like always," He admitted.

"Don't you want to be out in a bigger…tank?" I asked in a suggestion, seeing him grin at me from the awkward way I asked that. 

"I could if I wanted to, but I kind of like it this way, nice and small and calm," He admitted, looking at his walls now as I did the same.

"A bit quaint too if you think about it," I agreed, seeing him nod his head.

"If I had too much space I wouldn't like it." He explained, "Sometimes I hate it, not being able to move around a whole lot. Plus, I don't get a lot of people visiting me….just you." 

I felt a small hint of blush there on my cheeks now as he said that to me, seen him lean forward and press his head over to where the glass was, almost like he looked defeated about something in his head. I watched him as he sighed heavily.

"I miss you, Rose," He said to me in a confession,"It hasn't been the same around here without you here at the prison."

"I know, I miss you too," I replied back to him as I pressed my fingertips there along the glass in hopes that he would feel that through the glass and onto his skin. It made me feel sad that he was here within this tank, alone with his own thoughts that could be good and or bad, "I wish I could be in there with you."

"You don't want that," He countered with me.

"You're something familiar, Diablo," I explained to him, seeing him finally look up at me now as I told him this, "Nothing feels the same out there, only in here it feels….normal."

"You were in here for far too long, I think," He replied to me, "That happens to people locked up for too long. That happened to my Uncle once, he hated being out of prison since it's all he knew."

"You think that's happening to me?" I asked him in a low tone, looking over at the guards that were standing guard now a bit away from me and not hearing our conversation.

"Naw," Diablo replied quickly, having me look at him now, "My Uncle was locked up for twenty years. You were only in here for five years, that's not the same. You're strong enough to make it out there." 

"You're far too kind for someone like me," I admitted to him, seeing him shake his head on the other side of the window.

"I think you're far too kind to be with someone like me, Rose," he said back to me now as we were watching each other, having me feel terrible that there was a huge barrier between the both of us. I only hoped that it would be better for the both of us in the future, that we would be able to at least hug each other from time to time, and it made me realize that I hoped that I wasn't going to be the type of girlfriend that was going to be clingy with him. I had to remember that this was slow, slow and real for the both of us.

"You said you like flowers?" He asked me, almost seeing that I was lost in thought, looking over at him and seeing that he cocked his head to the side now. I smiled and nodded my head.

"I love flowers, they remind me of my mom," I explained

"Which ones are your favorites?" He asked me in curiosity.

"Sunflowers and roses, obviously," I replied in a chuckled, seeing him smile at me and I saw the war smile there on his face that I have missed since I was free from the prison.

The next morning, 3 dozen Roses were sent straight to my apartment, with a blank note that had a simple picture of a Fiery Skull on the inside. 

He's such a romantic. 

 

"We have reason to believe that this German Scientist is taking Metahumans and using them in experiments. Rumors are that he was trying to extract their abilities using his own ways." I was in a meeting room with Waller, Flag, and other officers as I was being brief on a new mission that we were going to go on. I was back in my combat uniform that they gave me, and before we would go they were going to tell the rest of the Squad so they would be briefed. 

"He was banned from being a doctor because of the hundreds of patients that were dying under the knife, his knife really. Since his lost his license, he went underground and used his wealth to have an underground practice for plastic surgery and other surgeries, mostly illegal." Waller explained as I looked at the picture of the suspect that they were going to grab over in Germany that night, feeling a small twinge of fear there from that face. He looked sinister as if he was happy with what he was doing. Both professional looking and almost fearful. 

"Our mission is to go into his facility and to rescue the Metahumans that he is holding hostage. He is already our radar to be arrested by some of our top military personnel, so your job is to focus on his victims that he was holding hostage and getting them back over here, understand?" I looked from her back tot he screen, thinking once again of my father and how he did the same, including with me. But this time, it was different, way too different now since my father wanted some profit.

This guy wanted to play God.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Rose?" He asked me, making my tongue feel thick now as I wanted to tell him the one thing that I was beyond concerned about when we were going to go through with this together.
> 
> "I don't want to….I don't want to replace her."
> 
> It sounded terrible maybe, almost like I was walking to my deathbed saying that to him since she was his wife and his first for everything. The one light in his life was gone and he was trying again to find it somewhere else, but with me? I felt like I was going to be replacing her, and if I knew one thing about people being replaced, it was not going to be the same result. I didn't want that for us, for me to try and fill some kind of hole that he had from his past that made him who he was.

"No way, that's true." 

"I swear to you it is."

"You did not survive and hit and run."

"I promise you I did. No one ever believes me when I tell them that story," 

I was having another visiting session with Diablo, but this time, he was out of his tank and in a visiting cell block, the two of us were the only ones there since the others were either too busy or not wanting to invade our space. Either way, it was nice, since it's been two weeks since I was released and I was having a regular routine to visits at least 3 times a week and help out with Waller whenever I could. It was still a good gig in my opinion: the more I worked for the woman, the more time I got with Diablo.

We were sitting across from each other, small smirked on our faces as we were eating the food that I made for the both of us, with the approval of Waller of course. I had pasta with garlic bread and salad, in which I was going to have him be my guinea pig to see if I was a good enough cook. Waller said it was fine, as long as it was not a regular routine since he was still considered a villain, and I was now a free person. 

It was a reminder: mind my boundaries.

"This isn't half bad," He said to me as he took another bite, having me watch him carefully now as he was chewing it down.

"You don't have to lie to me, you know," I advised him, seeing him eye me then too as I waited for his actual reaction.

"I'm telling you, it ain't bad," He reassured me as he ate some more to show me, "See, I ain't dead."

"Shut up," I joked, sharing him chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.

"I need to teach ya how to have Mexican food, real Mexcian food. None of that fake Taco Bell shit that they try to convince you it's authentic," He explained as I took a bite of my own food there, "I'm an okay cook myself."

"Never would have guessed," I teased.

"Be nice. Anyway, my old lady used to cook for me a whole lot, but she taught me a few things here and there," He passed, thinking about her as I watched him carefully, seeing him retreat to himself within his own mind and I wondered what was going on in his face. Sadness? Regret? 

"You okay?" I asked him quietly, seeing him think to himself for another moment or two, having me know who he was thinking about, "You miss her, don't you?"

"More than I thought I would," He admitted.

"There's nothing wrong with missing someone who's gone," I reminded him, seeing him slowly look up at me, "You miss your whole family."

"I can't change what I did," He said to me softly, then taking in a deep breath and motioning to the food there in front of him, "But this is a good start, to moving on with my life."

"That it is," I said to him, hesitating there in front of him and having him look at me in concern now since it felt like I was now the one in deep thought.

"Rose?" He asked me, making my tongue feel thick now as I wanted to tell him the one thing that I was beyond concerned about when we were going to go through with this together.

"I don't want to….I don't want to replace her."

It sounded terrible maybe, almost like I was walking to my deathbed saying that to him since she was his wife and his first for everything. The one light in his life was gone and he was trying again to find it somewhere else, but with me? I felt like I was going to be replacing her, and if I knew one thing about people being replaced, it was not going to be the same result. I didn't want that for us, for me to try and fill some kind of hole that he had from his past that made him who he was.

He reached over to lace our fingers together on the table, having me look down at the contrast in our skin tone. Tan and Pale, tattooed and freckled, hot and cold. Such opposites there, yet they were fitting perfectly now as I felt him squeeze our hands together.

"You're not replacing her," he said to me calmly, having me look over at him now to see those chocolate brown eyes, "No one can ever replace her, I learned that. But I am wanting to move on, with you." I smiled slowly at him, seeing him still hold our hands together as he eyed me then, leaning back a bit like we just had another conversation, all water under the bridge.

"So, what's the stupidest thing you've done?" He asked me curiosity as he took his spare hand and scooped some more pasta in his mouth as I thought to myself.

"Got myself in a bar fight," I replied, seeing his eyes go big in shock.

"No shit, for real?"

"I was 21 and the guy was a real jackass. Trust me, he asked for it."

 

Fraunhofer Society Research Headquarters,  
Munich, Germany

 

I stepped out of the plane, the rest of the Squad behind me as we were following Flag and some of his men out not the open area that was behind the large research center. It was the wee hours of the morning, the sleepiness of the night was rubbing off of me as the cold was surrounding us, having me miss being at home where it was warm. This place though it looked modern and chic compared with the rest of the world, had enough secrets behind it that would make the world itself raise an eyebrow,

That is why we're there.

"Nice digs!" Boomerang said in a gleeful manner as we walked over to the front together.

"We are going in to find information on the scientist and his location, nothing else. We don't break anything, loose anything….or steal anything." Flag advised us.

"Awww come on, dad!" Harley teased him as we were walking over to the double front doors that were made of glass. I eyed her lightly as we approached the doors and Flag took out a device from his pocket there,e a small one that was the size of my hand and he placed it on the wall, pressing a few buttons here and there before we heard a click and the front doors moved open without a flinch to them. Deadshot whistle.

"Nice tech there, Flag," Deadshot praised, almost like he was Swooning from what he saw. 

"Give it a rest, Deadshot," Flag advised as we walked into the lobby, weapons out and ready. I got my hands in my diamond form, in case something else were to pop up. Diablo did the same, his hands were making small enough flames to not give himself away now as we approached the front desk and one of the soldiers started tapping away, bringing up the security cameras and monitors.

"We need to hack in and make sure that we are the only ones that get to see this feed, along with Flag explained.

"I'm on it sir," the soldier replied as he got the camera work, the rest of us were all looking at the monitors now as Flag was pointing to them.

"We split up, two of ya'll with one soldier and you spread out to find any information we can get on the guy. According to the staff listings within the past 5 years, his old office is on the top floor: Room 3113. We need to find any dirt on the guy that we can work with, and you all will be our muscle in case things do go south. Once we hack into the system for his information, the security teams for this place will start running, and you'll take care of them…nicely." Flag explained as he looked at each of us now and tapped his phone there against his pocket, "You know the drill, I don't wanna repeat it."

"Yes, dad," Harley replied with a roll of her eyes, "We try to escape or vex you or you piss you off…we die."

"Thank goodness you learned," Flag said to her in a sarcastic manner as she rolled her eyes at him, "Now, I want Harley and Diablo, Croc and Talbert, Boomerang and Deadshot," I looked over at Croc, seeing him move his hoodie out of the way to see me and he growled in agreement. But Diablo looked over at me in concern as Harley walked over to him with her bat in her hand and pistol on his own holster.

"Great," Deadshot muttered as Boomerang grinned at him.

"Oi, don't be all sappy about it," he replied to him as Diablo walked over to me and I gave him a reassuring look. If there was another trait that I knew Diablo had with me compared to the others in the group: He was protective. Very much so since he almost lost me back at the subway. He was not wanting to have that again with me.

"Hey," I reassured him since I saw that he was about to argue with me not being near him, reaching down and pressing our palms together there to have him feel my skin against his own, "I'm going to be okay." He stayed there, watching me and then looking over to where the others were, noticing that most of them were not looking at the both of us. He then pressed into me slightly, a close enough hug without actually hugging me since we both decided to keep what we were building up together under wraps from the others. But who knew how long that was going to last. 

Our heads touched, almost a silent way to telling each other to be safe and not do anything stupid. His other hand touched my jawline there, almost pressing it in like a seal for me to know that he was there. This was a new side of Diablo that I have never seen, a calmer and cooler side that was nothing to how he spoke of himself in the past: being a hard monster. Not with me, he was calm and gentle and reassuring. This was as close to intimacy that we were going to get, and we were still going real slow with the kind of boundaries that we wanted with one another. It was fine bye= me, slow and steady. 

I moved away from him now and over to Croc, who was waiting for me over near the camera feed as Flag was pointing to the floors.

"You and Croc get to the top floor to his main office and over the soldier who'll upload his information, see if you can find anything." He explained to me, having me nod at him before I looked over at Croc.

"You ready?"

"You got it, shorty."

 

The both of us, along with our soldier chaperone, walking along the corridor there in the research building of the top floor. It was weary and quiet, the place was spotless and clean with nothing out of place or out of the ordinary. Even the carpeting was spotless as we walked along and I looked at each of the rooms to see if we were going to find the right one. 

"Here, in here," I said to the soldier as I saw the room with the number 3113, seeing the soldier go over to open the door and the three of us stepped inside. There were two plush chairs in front of a desk, a high-tech computer there and some knick knacks around the room as the soldier made his way over to the computer. It felt Croc and I walking around the room and looking at all the ratings this current scientist had for us to examine and to judge upon. Plenty of pictures of a family, typical WASP status for sure with some pictures from what looked like to be a beach near Tahiti. of course he would go on vacation.

"Past five years on this computer, and now we have him here," The soldier said after a few minutes of us standing there in silence and we both walked over to the screen to see what we were seeing. 

"He went by the name of Hans Streicher," The soldier explained, having me see the face there and it matched the same face that we saw in the briefing of this mission some hours before, but this time it was his work picture that he would use in this workplace, "Clean record on here with browsing history…..upper-class family."

"Sounds fishy," Croc said under his breath, the soldier looking at him.

"Yeah he's right: This guy's hiding something that we're not seeing," I added to the agreement with Croc, the soldier nodding his head slowly now as he looked back at the computer.

"If I hack into this, we could open up a can of worms with security and whatever kind of security measure they do have will come running. If they do, make sure I'm not disturbed in the next few minutes," He explained to both Croc and me.

"Our pleasure," Croc answered, the soldier grabbing his radio to Flag.

"I got into his computer and I'm about to download. Should take about 5 minutes," He explained, taking out a USB link and injecting it into the computer. I could hear a few taps as he was typing to get over the elementary security walls and I looked over at him, seeing eye me.

"Security's coming." He reminded me, having me then nod and get my diamond form at least up to my upper arms now as I was waiting there for the first one to come running, hoping that the others knew what was about to happen as well.

"Bring them on."


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I would advise you not getting too close to them, Talbert." 
> 
> It was like she was about to pull the grenade wit her finger on the pull pin, waiting for me to react so she can blow me up. I turned around to look at her, not getting at what she was saying at first since she made it more like a threat, but trying to be casual at the same time. She stared right at me, not saying a word as she folded her hands there on her desk, something underneath her folded hands there like, another tablet with some pictures on there. For a split second I couldn't see what it was, but then I knew since I saw the pictures and I knew who it was.
> 
> The Squad themselves.

"We have a problem," As soon as we were back at the prison and the rest of the group were back in their cells, I was about to leave to head over to get my things and go back to my apartment when I was stopped by Waller, Flag too looked at her in confusion as she approached me in a brisk manner. I knew something was up, and I was thinking that it had something to do with me.

"We had another breakout, here in Louisiana." She said to me, having me a shift a bit in uncertainty now as Flag spoke up.

"What does that mean, ma'am?" he asked her.

"It means that Rose is not safe at her apartment, at least for the night until we can get an actual word in from the police," I looked at her in shock.

"Why? What happened?" I asked now, finding my voice in the whole here. She took out her iPad from her briefcase that she was holding, tapping a few things and then handing me the video that was on the screen for me to see. I watched carefully, seeing it was a news feed. 

"There has been another set of disappearances within the New Orleans city itself, most of which are all over the districts with no real direct place of origin. We have reason to believe that this was the work os some vigilantes that are after Metahumans here in town and none of which were arrested yet and were not caught by police. Police have been advised and are doubling her efforts on patrols and house searches in case of more disappearances come into effect," 

I looked up at her, seeing her watch me now as the clip ended and she took the iPad from me.

"Is it linked the German scientist?" I asked her now as we both started walking over to her office that was over near the far end of the prison.

"We're looking into it. Mostly likely, whoever is behind all of us is going after the metahumans that are higher in ranks of danger and abilities, you being one of them," She explained as we turned the corner and found her door at the end of the hallway. One of the soldiers that were outside , standing guard, opened the door for the three of us as we walked in and she threw her briefcase on her desk.

"So where does that leave me?" I asked her as she sat down in her chair and rubbed her temple.

"Your safety is the top priority since you work for me. I want you to stay the night here, at least until tomorrow when I get word that this whole situation is handled properly. I can't afford to lose you and have the others at the Pentagon breathe down my neck for losing one of my own. We want to get some kind of idea as to who is behind this and if we can handle it quietly, or with some noise." She explained as I nodded my head, thinking that it would be best for me not to argue with my boss on this one.

"I'll get her set up in one of the guard's quarters," Flag said to Waller now as I was about to leave wit him when Waller spoke up one more time. 

"I would advise you not getting too close to them, Talbert." 

It was like she was about to pull the grenade wit her finger on the pull pin, waiting for me to react so she can blow me up. I turned around to look at her, not getting at what she was saying at first since she made it more like a threat, but trying to be casual at the same time. She stared right at me, not saying a word as she folded her hands there on her desk, something underneath her folded hands there like, another tablet with some pictures on there. For a split second I couldn't see what it was, but then I knew since I saw the pictures and I knew who it was.

The Squad themselves. 

"You know what will happen to them if they do fail," She reminded me calmly now as I felt a bit defensive there as she was saying it like I was about to have some kind of death wish with her, "Why should you waste your time with them if you know their own fate."

"I guess I'm optimistic," I replied calmly now as I walked away from her and out of the office. It made me wonder what was really going on in her head if she was truly someone that I could trust or someone I had to always stay away at a certain length. it felt like the latter attic this talk that we were having, and it made me worry about what I was doing there with her, working for her. 

"Come on," Flag said to me as we both walked away from the office, down the hallway and out of her element of brooding and fierceness. It had me fuming a bit now when she told me to back away from them, almost like she was slapping me on the hand.

"If it helps, I don't get it either," I looked over at Flag now as he was walking too, his eyes dead ahead and something in the back of his mouth ticking, as if he was pissed off too, "I know you're not the kind to fall easily into traps."

"How do you know?" I asked him back in a challenging manner.

"You could have died sometime long ago back when we were battling the witch. No one with no spine could have done that and lived to see the say," He explained, having me feel a twinge of appreciation towards him now as he said that about me, of all people. There was much more to this whole new life that I had to get used to and wrap my own head around. Who could I trust, and who do I need to stay away from. 

It was up for me to decide. 

 

That night was quiet, quiet and uneasy for me to sleep since I was thinking about the metahumans and what were happening to them. I knew that it could be me one of these days, going out there and not looking twice before I would be taken away without a second thought. Why were they being taken? There had to be some kind of real reason behind it, not just that people were afraid of them. I wanted to know more now, the unraveling of the knit sweater just started and it had all to do with Waller. Once again, I felt like she was hiding something, another thing that she would do when something was so close as to coming out into the open. 

What was it this time?

I turned over in my bed, my diamond formed hand was crystalizing there in the darkness and the moonlight coming through one of the windows there in my bedroom. They were worried about something so simple, or something so dangerous. Where was I on that scale? Was I simple, or was I dangerous?

Did Waller know?

 

This went on for some time, some days it was safe, and other days it wasn't.

Of course, my own apartment would be in the heat of it, so I had to be worried about someone coming around the corner to throw me into a car somewhere. But I was still careful enough, making the great choice of not making too many friends around my apartment. Sure it was making me more antisocial, but then again I would rather be antisocial than popular and have people think about me all the time.

But that too was a challenge, but the florist caught wind that I lived nearby and she asked for my name. Of course, I didn't want to be rude, so I told her my first name.

Mary. My mother's name.

"I'm Janice," She said to me, her elderly yet slimming figure made me think that she sued to be part of the hippie era. She had large hoop earrings, her long gray hair was in a thick braid down her back and she had on flow clothing underneath her maroon apron and some of the smell of dirt there under her fingertips. She was far too kind for me to be rude, not to mention someone who seems more on the side of the metahumans than against them, at least that's what I got from talking to her from time to time.

"Those poor souls. It's like the 60's all over again, but this time, they're superstitious about the whole thing," Janice was saying to another customer as I walked in late one night and another one of her employees was getting a bouquet ready for me since I ordered it earlier.

"What did you think was going to happen? People are scared, we don't know what kind of things they can do," The customer said to her to try and reason with her, but Janice shook her head.

"But they are still people, and they still deserve better things than that," Janice replied to her now as I handed the money, hearing the small TV going on again with another clip of disappearances happening from the night before. 

"You think it'll die out soon, though, this whole thing about metahumans?" The customers asked as I was taking the bouquet from the worked there and Janice finally looked at me, her smile showed that she snapped out of the thought of the news and was focusing on me. 

"Make sure you clip the ends like I showed you before, okay?" She asked me, and I nodded quietly now.

"Thanks, Janice. These look great," I said to her in a sweet manner, her smile at me reminded me of the sun: bright and cheerful.

‘I'll get a new shipment in of baby lavenders for you since you asked, they'll be the last one since their season is coming to an end this year," She reminded me, having me nod as I grabbed my flowers and about to head out the door as I heard Janice turning off the TV now in a huff.

"We don't need any more of this hatred in the world."

I wish I could second her on that one.

 

I got to my apartment complex, which was on the ground floor of the complex there along the suburban areas of New Orleans, fishing out my keys as I was walking along. Once I got my keys out, I felt like someone placed their hands on my arms and shoved me against the wall there in the late humid night. I was shoved hard, losing my keys and the flowers there as they fell to the floor with my purse, hitting my head against the wooden wall and someone grabbed my throat to hold me there as I could see the shadow of who it was.

"Hold still, bitch."

I rammed my elbow there against his face, seeing him lean back slightly as I was trying to find my footing when he punched me hard there against my eye, almost having me yell out in pain now as he was pulling something out of his pant, small and what looked like a needle.

Oh shit, it was happening all over again.

I felt my head booming a diamond there as soon as he was about to pull back to strike me against my arm, rearing my head and back slamming him hard in the head. It was hard, almost like skull hitting concrete as he then collapsed to the floor, out cold and not moving. I gasped for air now as I was looking at him on the ground, not knowing who he was and why he had a needle in his hand. He was   
crushing the Roses underneath his body.

This was getting harder than I imagined. 

 

The next day, I walked right up to Waller now as she was talking to the Squad there in one of the meeting room. They were all there but Diablo, which was a good thing since I knew he was about to have a freak out episode. I was walking straight to her and not seeing the others looks at me and how they were shocked at what they were seeing on my face. Namely, the black eye that I had.

Amanda looked a bit shocked to see me being so bold at her now as I stood there at fists at my side, my nostrils were fairing slightly now as I eyed her carefully.

"Crickey, Shelia," Boomerang said under her breath.

"Nice shiner, dollface. Did you get freaky last night or--" Harley started, but I eyed her and she instantly went quiet and looked shocked at the look I was giving her, looking down then as I went back to look at Amanda.

"I was almost taken last night," I explained to her carefully with my hands at my sides and my anger was still simmering at a boil, "They were about to drug me and take me."

"Are you sure?" Waller asked me, having me reach into my pocket and take out the needle that I stowed away in a Ziploc bag and I threw it onto the table there in the middle.

"I'm not gonna lie about that coming right at me," I explained to her now, pointing to the needle now with a deadly finger. 

"Shit," Deadshot muttered as the doors behind us opened, all of us looking now as I saw it was, in fact, Diablo coming in with his handler. Diablo saw me instantly as his handle took off the cuffs and moved away from in, in which he walked over to me at a fast pace now and instantly looked at my black eye. I saw the fear in his eyes as he was closed enough to cradle my face in his hands and he examined my injury with anger there, it was buried there, but I still saw it.

"What happened?" He asked, looking at it from different angles, "Who did that to you?"

"I was jumped last night," I explained to him as he looked at me in worry now from hearing the news. I hated doing that to him, it was killing me, "He...tried to take me."

"Take you? Where?" He asked me urgently as Amanda then spoke up finally.

"To where all the other Metahumans went to," She replied, all of us were looking at her now to hear where she would tell me. I was wanting to know too since it would be one piece closer to ending this whole thing once and for all. 

"We're going to find it."


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I really…really…like you Rose," He said to me in a calm way now, having me lick my lips and smile at him.
> 
> "I do too," I said to him, "I like you too, Chato."
> 
> "I don't wanna screw this up," He confessed to me in his low tone as he pressed our forehead together again, almost breathing out in a shaky manner with the thought of this relationship going to destruction now. But I shook my head, forever the optimistic, and I cradled his face in my hands there and I saw our tattoos contrast with one another.

Since my mugging, Waller has been trying to find the kind of patterns that were happening with the lootings and violence around the country, since they were sprouting and in the most random places. People turning on each other, others being sent away with no explanation, she saw something out of place with it and she wanted to fix it once and for all. It left more time for me to try and go back to the apartment without being afraid of what could be there. The others were spending more time in the prison, in which I would visit them with or without Amanda's wishes. Her warning was still in the back of my head: steer clear from being close.

I knew what I was doing.

One of the other times that I was with Diablo, he told me his first name which was rare sine he never told the others about it. We were talking at one time, sitting side by side there at the visitor's room and he brought it up out of nowhere with me after I said some kind of joke to him, looking over at me with his gorgeous eyes.

"You know, my real name's not Diablo," He said to me softly, having me look at him playfully in shock.

"What?! Since when?" I asked, the both of us smiling at each other as he shook his head,

"Eh, I don't like using my real name," He explained, "At least, I don't share it with a whole lot of people."

"So I'm an exception to that rule then?" I asked in a coy manner, seeing him shove me playfully with his shoulder against my own and I grinned at him. He thought to himself for a moment before he said his name to me, clear a day.

"It's Chato," I grinned when he told me since it felt like it suited him and what he was like, "It's not a great name—"

"I think it is," I said simply, lacing our fingers together and I felt him lean into me a bit. 

I leaned my head on his shoulder, the warmth was there now as he didn't move but stayed there holding my hand and humming a bit in content as I spoke up to him, "You know, those red roses you sent to my apartment are very nice."

"I didn't know what color you would like," Chato reasoned with me as I looked up at him and him down at me, "Harley told me red was popular. What, you don't like red?"

"I do," I reasoned with him, "Yellow if my favorite, though. Yellow and peach."

"Yellow and peach…." He trailed off, thinking to himself as I playfully shoved him.

"Don't even think about it," I warned with a smile, "Don't spend your money on me."

"Why?" He asked with a shrug of his shoulders, "I want to."

 

It was simple to the both of us, not needing big words or long talks with one another, we were fine with each other's company and drinking in the calm waves that the other would bring. it made me happy that I would find something like this with someone like him, who felt like my opposite on many things. Wel felt like opposites, but it was 

"Dodge them!" 

We were in another mission that has thrown us in another town that overrun by beings from that were made from somewhere else. But this group was taking over San Francisco, a whole litter of them taking over the whole area and wrecking havoc. We got the call right after I was almost mugged and drugged, and that part was still a mystery, who was the one that tried to take me, and who sent him.

Somebody had to have sent him.

Right now I was occupied to dodging more assaults from these beings that looked like they were drugged up to the brink of being mindless zombies. They looked more humans than the beings that we saw over in Midway City, but they were acting like those beings: mindless and without any remorse. It made me wonder who did this to them, why they would do that, and if there were some kind of motive. 

Waller threw us into the hard of the town, most of the things were near the wharf and pear with the crisp wind coming in and the sea salt air was hitting my face hard

I punched out another one of those beings, seeing it fall to the floor now as another one tried to jump on my back and having me roll to the floor in a heap. I struggled against him, getting him up from my back since it was a bit light now and ramming him against a brick wall and hearing him groan out as he fell to the floor unconscious. I got up, seeing the others there fighting off those things and I could see that this was some kind of easy fight. Why was it too easy?

"Are these things bloody human?" Boomerang said in a fugue as he slammed to of them together and I grabbed another one from hitting me hard with its hands.

"I think they are," I replied back to him as Harley swung at one with a bat.

"They're are human, none of them are squishing like those buggies," She said in her huff as she swung at another one.

"Why do they look like that?" Chato asked he was taking out another set of those things who were trying to jump them.

"Let me ask ‘em," Harley said with a snort as she pulled out her pistol and shot at three of them before putting her pistol down and the last of them were doing down for the count, "I didn't get an answer."

"Wait a minute," I said to them as we were standing there, already down with the battle there and we were good with the battle. I crouched down at the body there in front of me, the same body that I knocked down from seconds ago. I tilted the head to the side, seeing something there along the edge of its skin and I grabbed the phone there in my back pocket to turn it on.

"Taking a picture of it, love? I didn't think you had that kind of kink in you." Boomerang voiced to me as I aimed my picture there along the neck and took the picture itself.

"You would like that about me, jackass," I muttered to him as I stood back up again and I looked at the picture there on y camera, seeing something there that seemed off. There was some kind of mark there along the skin, in which the mark made the skin rise almost like a brand. It was a brand that I didn't know, almost ancient looking and a smaller mark there. There was some kind of sign of injection there, I could see the puncture wound and how it almost looked infected. 

"Look at this," I said to Deadshot as I walked over to him and showed him the picture, seeing him my phone and look at it closely as the others were walking over too to see what was going on, "That's a puncture wound of a needle."

"It sure is," Deadshot said as Harley took the phone without any warning to look at the mark there in the picture, tilting it from side to side now as she thought to herself casually.

"Looks like someone got shot up with drugs," She playfully informed us as we all looked at her, seeing if she was making a joke of it or actually telling the truth. She caught the awkwardness and playfully giggled, "Seriously, though, that's a hypodermic needle injection there."

"Somebody drugged them?" Chato asked her now in confusion, all of us looking at the rest of the bodies as if it was clicking together, having me take the phone from her hands now.

"Check their necks."

We all looked at the necks of those on the ground, seeing where the neck wound would be and I hear Deadshot calling Flag over now as he was talking to Waller on the phone about our wrap up there in the town. He walked Flag over to me as I was checked another neck, seeing that it was the same wound that I saw in the first one. There was some kind of link with them, all of them had this and it looked unhealthily and almost like a struggle with this injection in them.

"Show him," Deadshot explained to me as I walked over to Flag, tossing him the phone and watched him looking at the picture, something off was on his face about it.

"They are one at of their necks. Someone did this to them," I explained to him, seeing him look up and look at all of the bodies. There was foul play here, I could feel it now since it was like before in Midway City: theses were actual people before this all happened. They had real lives, they were robbed of that and taken for something else that turned them into this. Something odd, grotesque and wrong.

Who would do that to someone, to a group of them?

 

"So, I guess you're heading back to your place over in New Orleans then?" Chao asked me as we got off the plane and over to the front of the prisoner where they were going to be cuffed once again and escorted back to their cells. I nodded my head, shoving my hands in my pockets then.

"Yeah, I'm cooking and staying in for the night, like I usually do," I replied, seeing him give me a longing look as I raised an eyebrow at him, "Why you wanna know?"

"Umm…" he said in uncertainly, trying to avoid my gaze now like I caught him in some kind of trap. I stopped him from walking, keeping my hand there on his arm.

"What is it, Chato?" I asked him now, seeing him shrug his own shoulders all sheepishly.

"I asked Waller, very nicely mind you, if I could come over and visit for a few hours at your place, you know? I've been good here and she's not breathing down my neck…..bitch," He muttered the last word under his breath but I smacked him.

"Be nice," I warned him.

"But she said yes, I can come visit." He said to me, a huge smile on my face from hearing that from him. It was a big deal, in my opinion, another warning bell was faintly going off from Amanda Waller herself, her infamous wanting for me not to get close. It was one of those tight ropes situations that I knew I would have to talk in order I knew that I was going to be okay. This was one of those moments, but seeing Chato's grin on his face was enough for me.

 

"Move it over here, along the side there so it won't burn in the middle," I watched him as he was trying to make the food there between us, looking like he was in deep conversation as we were in my apartment the next night, the window open for the light air to come in and the int music of my record player coming into the room now as I could see him trying not to mess it up there for the both of us. 

"Good, it looks good," I encouraged, having me see him look over at me. He was wearing one of his baggy pants, a white shirt and his sneakers there as I was wearing a rolled up flannel shirt, a black shirt underneath, and my own sneakers.

"No need to say that to make me feel better," He muttered to him, having me shake my head.

"Oh come on, Chato. You're not half bad with cooking," I said to him now as I pointed back to the pan, "We're almost done with it. Come on, moving it around a bit more to get it nice and brown," It was like be was an obedient student there, listening to my every word and getting it just right where he wanted it to be. He grinned as he did it, like a child getting the right thing on the test.

"Chef Chato is in the room," I praised him as I got the pan from him and move the food onto the two plates there.

"I didn't even burn down the stove, that's a first," he voiced to me.

"You had control and you were patient. Cooking takes just that," I explained as I looked over at him from the pan, "My mom taught me that. She was a pretty good cook." I was about to say something else about my mother when he leaned over to me, so close to me that it made me stop since he planted his lips on me.

Chato kissed me.

It felt like fire touched my lips, not the hot uncontrolled fire that would take out a whole city it could and if it tried. This one was soft, warm against my lips and almost leaving a tingling sensation. I lost my breath when we connected, my mind going blank and my heart beating so fast that I could hear it in my ears how fast it was going. For something so simple and what felt like a delegate thing, it was turning everything inside of me all around in different places. I had to closely eyes him, since there was nothing else I could do but kiss him back very softly and carefully, feeling the weight of his own lips against my own. It felt like a million fires were going off all over my body, over and over again like some kind of firework show. All from him, all from one kiss. 

I felt him move, getting one hand on my neck there and having me feeling the warmth of his fingertips and his other hand close to my waist, but not placing them there yet and keeping his hand there on the kitchen counter. I could feel my hands moving without me thinking about it, they were moving over to where his shirt was and I slowly placed my fingers there, in case it would be too much. It almost felt like I was breathing in the fire hat he had within himself and was giving it to me.

Such a gift.

He pulled away from me, mere inches as he was watching my every move in case he did something wrong or was overstepping. I saw it there in his face and how he was giving me enough space to run, but stay close enough in case I wanted to stay. Was he nervous from what we did? Did he regret it? I waited for him to say something, but maybe he was doing the same thing too. 

"Did you just kiss me?" I asked him quietly since I couldn't hear anything else in the room but the heavy breathing of the two of us. He gulped, sensing that this as a bad idea.

"Yeah I did," He replied carefully, his voice was soothing and low, almost husky.

"Why?" I asked suddenly.

"Because I wanted to, for awhile actually," He explained in a stammer since he felt like this was about to go down the wrong path that he wanted, "I don't know for how long, it's been a few weeks here and there and I didn't think you would like me like that, but you look so pretty tonight and I felt like it was a now or never thing—"

I kissed him this time, just to shut him up.

It was just as gentler than before, but with a small amount of heat behind it as he responded within a second after I kissed him, moving back into my space and keeping his hand on my neck there for good measure. It felt right kissing him, more than right. It was almost like I was drugged by him and it was consuming me all over from my head to my toes. 

I reached over with my own spare hand that was not occupied with his shirt there amongst my fingers, grabbing his hand that was on the counter and placing it against my hip there, to at least show that it was okay to hold me there. Within a second of having his hand on my hip, I felt him wrap his arm around me and pull me flush against him as he gave me another kiss, a little more tender and real this time since he was testing the waters. It made me clutch his shirt there in front of me like he was a lifeline for me to feel. 

He was the one the pulled away, still looking down at me as I was getting my breath again. He sounded like he was trying to breathe too from our recent kissing session, searching my eyes and still having his arm around me and keeping me close.

"I really…really…like you Rose," He said to me in a calm way now, having me lick my lips and smile at him.

"I do too," I said to him, "I like you too, Chato."

"I don't wanna screw this up," He confessed to me in his low tone as he pressed our forehead together again, almost breathing out in a shaky manner with the thought of this relationship going to destruction now. But I shook my head, forever the optimistic, and I cradled his face in my hands there and I saw our tattoos contrast with one another.

"You won't," I promised him, seeing him watch me as I smiled. He was scared to move on, to not look back at what he did and think that it would be different this time. I had to remind him that it was going to be okay, we were going to be okay. I pressed my lips to him once more and we kissed there in the kitchen, the record player playing into the night and the food almost going cold.

The breath of fire on my lips.


End file.
